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Western Illinois University Athletics

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Vy Ha/MT Athletic Communications
6
Western Illinois WIU 6-14
7
Winner Middle Tennessee MTSU 17-6
Western Illinois WIU
6-14
6
Final
7
Middle Tennessee MTSU
17-6
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Western Illinois WIU 0 3 0 0 1 0 2 0 6 11 0
Middle Tennessee MTSU 1 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 7 13 0

W: MEAD, Gretchen (5-2) L: Price, Emily (3-5)

Game Recap: Softball | | WIU Athletic Communications

WIU Falls in Extras

Western Illinois softball hit two home runs in the seventh inning, will face App. State and MTSU on Sunday (March 12).

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Leatherneck softball was in action on Saturday (March 11), facing Middle Tennessee State in the second day of the 2023 MTSU Invitational, a game that went to extra innings but finished in favor of the tournament hosts. Originally scheduled to face Appalachian State following the game, Western will face both the Mountaineers and Blue Raiders on Sunday (March 12).
 
Though the Blue Raiders opened the game's scoring with a first inning double, Western Illinois quickly responded and jumped out to a 3-1 advantage in the second inning. With one out and the bases loaded, Gabriela Drager stepped up and hit a ball deep into the gap in left center field that cleared the bases and put WIU ahead. Middle Tennessee put three runs on the board in the next three innings, but Western loaded the bases again in the fifth inning to setup a score as Kaylee Ketcherside hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Drager.
 
MTSU scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to take a 6-4 lead, but Western Illinois came up with two clutch home runs in the seventh inning. With one out, Maria Luna and Bella Alvarez hit back-to-back solo home runs, both on 2-2 counts and both to left field, leveling the game at six apiece. The home run was Luna's first as a collegiate athlete while bringing Alvarez's season total up to three, which is tied for eighth-most among Summit League hitters.
 
Middle Tennessee claimed the victory with a walk-off double in the eighth inning.
 
As a team, Western finished with 11 hits and no errors while Luna (3-4), Alvarez (2-4) and Ketcherside (2-4) recorded multi-hit performances. Drager (1-4) along with Georgia Rea (1-3), Savannah Rodriguez (1-3) and Piper Foote (1-4) accounted for the other hits while Drager, Rodriguez, Rylee Boone and Kayla Zamora walked to get on base.
 
Rodriguez pitched the first four innings of action, allowing eight hits and four runs while striking out two. Emily Price came on in relief and finished with 3.1 innings pitched, allowing five hits and three runs (two earned) while striking out one Blue Raider.
 
The team was originally slated to also face Appalachian State on Saturday night but the game was postponed due to weather, setting up a two-game Sunday that starts with a 12:30 first pitch against the Mountaineers.
 
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