Stiner and Reed Hit Homeruns in 7-4 Loss to Hilltoppers

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Middle Tennessee softball (10-29-1, 1-2 SBC) fell to Western Kentucky (21-18, 2-1 SBC) 7-2 Sunday in the final game of the of the Sun Belt series with the Hilltoppers at WKU Softball Field.

Western Kentucky picked up two runs in the bottom of the first inning. With two outs, Shelby Smith hit a single down the third base side. Rebecca Horesky also singled to place runners on first and second. Leftfielder Alana Towns hit a two RBI triple to score Smith and Horesky.

Middle Tennessee answered in the second inning, getting back one of the runs the Blue Raiders gave up. Muriel Ledbetter hit a single past the pitcher and moved to second thanks to a perfectly placed bunt by Trish White. Ledbetter moved to third off a wild pitch by Western Kentucky pitcher Adrienne Lathrop and scored off an RBI single by Melissa Weiland.

Western Kentucky added one run in the second inning. Lathrop hit a one out single and then scored off an RBI double by Bailey Rolfs.

After pitching two innings and giving up a walk in the third inning, sophomore hurler Ashley Katinas was replaced by Trish White. After forcing a fly ball for the first out, White gave up a double and a triple to allow the Hilltoppers to add two runs to their total.

Western Kentucky added one run in the fourth thanks to an RBI single by Horesky. Middle Tennessee tacked on its second run of the game when Shelby Stiner hit her fourth homerun of the season.

Western Kentucky's Towns hit her second triple of the game in the fifth inning and scored off a fielder's choice.

Weiland picked up her third hit of the game to lead off the top of the seventh inning for the Blue Raiders. Left fielder Kristine Reed knocked in her third homerun of the season in her two run blast over the left field wall to make the final score 7-4.

Katinsas takes the loss and falls to 2-7 on the season. The Blue Raiders were led by Melissa Weiland who was 3-for-3 with an RBI. Reed and Stiner each had homeruns in the game for Middle Tennessee. It was the second time in the three-game series the Blue Raiders had multiple homeruns in a game.

Middle Tennessee returns to action on Wednesday in a non-conference match-up with Memphis. The first pitch for the doubleheader is set for 2 p.m.

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