Western Kentucky’s 2018 softball season ended Wednesday with a loss to Louisiana Tech in the Conference USA Tournament.

Coach Amy Tudor’s Hilltoppers finished the season with a 28-25 record.

No. 8 seed WKU began single-elimination play Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C., with a 5-2 win over No. 5 seed Marshall. Pitcher Kelsey Aikey fired a complete game, piling up a career-high 10 strikeouts.

Jordan Thomas and Brittany Vaughn both hit home runs in the victory against the Thundering Herd. The Bowling Green native Vaughn, who was the Toppers’ lone senior, drove in two runs on her eighth homer of the season.

The win advanced WKU to another single-elimination game Wednesday against No. 4 seed Louisiana Tech, which it lost 6-1.

The Hilltoppers committed a pair of errors in that defeat, leading to three unearned runs from the Bulldogs. Kendall Smith drove in WKU’s lone run in the loss.

WKU has advanced to three C-USA Tournaments during its four years in the league and has now won at least one game at each event.