BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Toledo softball team closed out the WKU Hilltopper Classic with a 4-1 win against Indiana State and a 5-4 extra inning triumph over Wisconsin - Green Bay on Sunday at the Western Kentucky Softball Complex. With the double header sweep, the Rockets post a 4-1 mark on the weekend and are now 7-3 on the year. 

"Overall, I think we did a good job," said Toledo head coach Kristen Butler. "We started off our first game of the weekend pretty rough, but we came out in the last four games and played a lot of great softball. We've focused on live pitching over the last couple of weeks and I think that is coming to fruition."

Toledo 4, Indiana State 1
Toledo jumped in front in the first inning and added to its lead late to avenge its only loss of the weekend to Indiana State. Junior Kaitlyn Bergman and freshman Bailey Curry both hit their second home runs of the season to lead the offense. Freshman Kylie Norwood went 2-for-4 and had an RBI in the first multi-hit game of her career.

Junior Heather Webb allowed an unearned run on six hits and two walks in 5.2 innings of work.

How It Happened

• The Rockets scored in the very first inning without a hit to lead 1-0. Senior Ashley Rausch, Curry, junior Katie Cozy and junior Kaitlyn Bergman each walked on a total of 14 pitches to force in the first run.
• Webb issued a leadoff walk in the second, but the runner was quickly erased by Bergman on an attempted stolen base. 
• Junior Megan Choate doubled to right center with one out in the bottom of the second, but was left stranded at third at the end of the inning.
• Curry launched a home run for the second game in a row with one out in the third inning to give UT a 2-0 edge.
• Freshman Taylor Weekly singled and stole second to begin the fourth frame. After advancing to third, Weekly was called out at the plate on failed squeeze bunt by Choate.
• Indiana State cut the lead in half in the top of the fifth. A single and an error put a runner in scoring position with two outs. An RBI single plated the only run of the game for ISU.
• In the sixth, Bergman skied a home run over the left field fence to make the score 3-1. Sophomore Morgan Paaverud singled and Choate walked to set the stage for Norwood with two outs. Norwood came through with a single through the right side to knock in freshman pinch runner Raelyn Nyren. 
• Webb returned to the circle to close out the game after a scoreless inning by junior Kailey Minarchick and a scoreless third by sophomore Allisa Noble.

Toledo 5, Wisconsin - Green Bay 4 (8 innings)
In the Rockets first extra-inning game of the season, Kylie Norwood's RBI double in the eighth proved to be the difference. Toledo scored three times in extra innings and needed them all as UW - Green Bay tallied a pair of runs in the final inning. 

Bailey Curry went 3-for-5 with an RBI to continue her hot hitting. Morgan Paaverud belted a solo home run and Norwood was 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored in the win. Kailey Minarchick went the distance in the circle, allowing four runs, one earned, on eight hits in 8.0 innings. 

How It Happened

• The Rockets scored first again in the top of the third inning. Norwood just missed a solo home run to center field and settled with a one-out double. Curry knocked her home with an RBI single to give UT a 1-0 start.
• Green Bay came right back to take the lead in the bottom half. A Toledo error started the rally and back-to-back singles loaded the bases. A long drive to right field plated two unearned runs and put the Phoenix up 2-1.
• UT wasted no time pulling even and did so on Paaverud's one-out solo blast over the right center fence. This was Paaverud's first home run of the campaign and the second of her career.
• Minarchick locked in and retired six straight batter before allowing a leadoff singles in the sixth and seventh innings. Minarchick worked through both innings to force extras.
• With the international tiebreaker in play, freshman Brittney Davis was placed on second base to start the eighth. Freshman Ami Ill bunted the runner to third and Davis raced home on a well-executed squeeze bunt by senior Sam Showalter, puting Toledo ahead 3-2.
• Later in the inning, an error and an RBI ground out by Taylor Weekly made the score 4-2 and Norwood's double down the left field line scored Megan Choate to give Toledo a three-run lead.
• Back-to-back singles by Green Bay plated the international tiebreaker runner from second. After a meeting of the minds, the Phoenix moved the runner with a bunt to put runners in scoring position with one out. Minarchick was able to induce two ground outs to end the rally.

Next weekend the Rockets start their spring break trip with the Tennessee Invitational in Knoxville, Tenn. UT will play the host Volunteers, South Alabama and Charleston Southern from March 2-4.