Western Kentucky’s softball team suffered an eight-inning, 8-7 setback Sunday to Marshall in Huntington, W.Va.

The Conference USA East Division foes combined for 15 runs, 20 hits and 19 runners left on base in the Sunday rubber match. Four Hilltoppers recorded multi-hit days, including a 3-for-5 showing from Kendall Smith.

WKU moved to 27-8 on the year with the loss and 10-2 in league play after dropping its first series. Marshall is 25-13 overall and 8-4 in C-USA.

Joining Smith with multi-hit days were Kennedy Sullivan, Kelsey McGuffin and Rebekah Engelhardt. Sullivan notched two-hit performances in all three games of the series, while McGuffin totaled two doubles and a walk. Engelhardt connected for her team-best eighth home run before adding an RBI single in the seventh.

Smith, Shannon Plese and Engelhardt each recorded two RBIs, while Sullivan added one. Sullivan’s RBI came on her NCAA-best seventh sacrifice fly of the season, while also matching WKU’s single season record set by Amanda Thomas in 2014.

Sullivan worked the first 4 2/3 innings of the game before giving way to Kelsey Aikey in the bottom of the fifth. Sullivan left the circle and moved to right field with a pitching line of four hits, four runs, five walks and two strikeouts while taking a no-decision. Aikey took the loss, moving to 8-6 on the year after allowing four hits, four runs and two walks against a couple strikeouts in the final 2 1/3 innings.

WKU led on a couple different occasions while tying the game on two instances as well. The Hilltoppers’ first lead was after their first trip to the plate, where they took a 2-0 advantage.

After Marshall plated three in the bottom of the frame, the Hilltoppers answered in the top of the second to knot the game at 3-all.

The Thundering Herd took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fourth, but WKU responded with two runs in its next time at bat for a 5-4 advantage.

The Hilltoppers went ahead 6-4 in the top of the sixth, but MU answered again with a three-run frame for a 7-6 lead.

WKU loaded the bases in the top of the seventh and tied the game on a single by Engelhardt before a three-up, three-down trip to the field in the bottom of the frame. Smith delivered her third hit of the game with a single in the top of the eighth, but WKU couldn’t get anything going before Marshall’s Rachel Rousseau homered to end the game.

The Hilltopper squad outhit Marshall 12-8 on the day but stranded 10 runners on the bases in addition to making a couple errors in the field.

WKU will be back in action this weekend as North Texas comes to town for a three-game series. Saturday’s first pitch is slated for 1 p.m.