Kelsey Aikey’s arm carried Western Kentucky to an easy win to start a Saturday doubleheader. The Hilltoppers needed two arms and a key outfield snag to squeak out a tight, low scoring victory later in the afternoon.

Aikey matched a season-high in strikeouts in Game 1 and Kennedy Sullivan earned the save in the second game to give WKU a doubleheader sweep over Texas-San Antonio.

Aikey threw 13 strikeouts in an 8-1 victory to start the day, then Shelby Nunn and Sullivan combined to earn WKU a 4-3 victory to take the series over UTSA. The Hilltoppers (36-12 overall, 17-6 Conference USA) can earn the C-USA East Division title with a win over the Roadrunners (20-29, 8-16) in Sunday’s regular season finale at 1 p.m.

WKU entered the weekend with a one-game lead in the division over Marshall, which won two games in its series with Florida Atlantic on Saturday.

“That was the point of the weekend was to be confident going into conference and be confident going into everything,” Aikey told the Daily News. “Our hitting was good and our pitching was good. It was overall a good day.”

WKU outhit UTSA 22-7 in the two wins and sophomore first baseman Maddie Bowlds went 6-for-6 from the plate. That performance comes one game after she hit her first career home run against Murray State on Wednesday, which kick-started WKU’s current three-game win streak after getting swept by Louisiana Tech last weekend.

“We came out and did what we needed to do,” senior center fielder Shannon Plese said. “Two wins is two wins and I’m happy with where we’re at.”

A strong finish with hot bats is everything coach Amy Tudor wants from her team going into next week’s C-USA Tournament in Birmingham, Ala.

“The bat’s been passed around quite a bit this season so when someone is a little down, somebody else steps up and Maddie Bowlds had a fantastic day at the plate – not sure how you get better than 6-for-6,” Tudor said. “We have to come out tomorrow focused on the game and what we’re trying to do prior to the conference tournament.”

Game 1

Western Kentucky 8, UTSA 1

Aikey watched her sixth pitch sail out of the WKU Softball Complex, nearly clearing the scoreboard in right field. The rest of her day looked much better.

The WKU junior pitcher allowed just one more hit the rest of the day and matched a career-high in strikeouts as the Hilltoppers rolled to an 8-1 victory to open its three-game series with UTSA.

Aikey retired 13 batters to tie a mark she set in nine innings at Tennessee Tech on April 17. The junior could’ve won based on WKU’s first-inning production alone, but the Hilltoppers found a rhythm of six hits and five runs in their last two innings.

Sullivan and Plese had home runs that set the tone for WKU’s first win in the series. Bowlds led WKU with three of its 11 hits.

The Hilltoppers had an answer immediately after Bailee Baldwin homered for the Roadrunners in the first inning.

Jordan Thomas led off with a double to right field and scored two batters later on Shannon Plese’s bunt.

WKU took the lead when Kennedy Sullivan’s double bounced off the center-field wall and allowed Plese to score the go-ahead run. Jordan Vorbrink gave WKU it’s third double of the inning to score Sullivan to make it a 3-1 lead.

Aikey settled in and didn’t allow another hit until a leadoff single in the top of the fourth.

She worked through the order in the second, then escaped the third and fourth innings while UTSA left two runners stranded in each frame.

“I told my catcher I got (the home run) out of my head now,” Aikey said. “After that, I said let’s focus on every pitch now and I got that out of the way.”

Bowlds led off the bottom of the fifth with a bunt single, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout. That set up Plese for the two-run homer over the left-field wall.

Sullivan’s solo homer to lead off the sixth extended WKU’s lead to 6-1. Bowlds’ third hit skipped by the pitcher to bring home pinch-runner Jordan Ridge, then an error scored Cassidy Blackford for the final 8-1 margin.

Game 2

WKU 4, UTSA 3

Sullivan found herself in a unique situation of needing to save the Hilltoppers. The freshman from Georgetown is 15-4 this season as a starter, but was tasked with relieving Nunn after the starter gave up a second home run.

Sullivan struck out four in the last two innings and escaped the final inning with runners in scoring position to preserve a 4-3 victory.

“Game 1 to Game 2 facing the same opponent, they learn you a bit and you learn them,” Tudor said. “Different looks from the mound. I thought we played good defense and pitched well and obviously had a good day at the plate.”

Bowlds went 3-for-3 in Game 2 and scored WKU’s final run off a Jordan Thomas single to make it a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning.

UTSA cut into the lead with two home runs, prompting Tudor to pull Nunn after five innings. Sullivan entered and gave up a walk, forced two pop outs and a strikeout – stranding a UTSA runner at third – to squeak out of the inning still holding the lead.

Sullivan struck out the first two in the top of the seventh and came a strike away from ending the game before issuing two walks. She ended the game on her fourth strikeout for her first career save.

“We work really good with each other,” Aikey said of the pitching staff. “If one of us isn’t on, the other is going to pick us up so we work really good together.”

UTSA got two quick hits off Nunn in the first inning, which helped it build another 1-0 lead.

But, like in Game 1, WKU responded with Thomas leading off with a hit and scoring on a Plese RBI. The Toppers took the lead for good in the third inning when Plese scored on Kendall Smith’s single.

Plese helped preserve WKU’s win in the top of the fourth when she robbed UTSA’s Kylea Nix of a solo homer by snagging the ball over the center-field wall.

“Honestly, I didn’t think it was going to go over the fence,” Plese said. “(Jordan) Vorbrink said I had room and I just kept going for the ball. It’s a good catch and I’m glad our pitcher was able to come back and do her job.”

UP NEXT

Plese is one of five seniors – Vorbrink, Engelhardt, Cassidy Blackford and Kelsey McGuffin – who will be honored before Sunday’s finale at 1 p.m.{&end}