The Marshall University softball team swept Toledo University Tuesday in a doubleheader at Dot Hicks Field to continue its unbeaten start to conference play.
Marshall swept the University of Texas at El Paso at home over the weekend.
The Herd picked up a 5-3 win in its first game Tuesday. Marshall started the scoring early in the first game after Briana Diass singled home Kaelynn Greene to put the Herd up 1-0 in the first inning.
Senior infielder Katalin Lucas said scoring first is important to the team.
“We came out hitting well,” Lucas said. “One of our goals is to start fast. Every time we score first, we find a way to win. We know when we score first, we’ve got the game.”
Jordan Dixon pitched all seven innings and allowed the three runs scored in the sixth inning.
Alyssa Woodrum and Ali Burdette both hit homeruns in the first game.
Woodrum, who came in as a pinch hitter, took the first pitch she saw and hit it out of the ballpark.
The Herd picked up four more runs before the sixth inning making the score 5-0 at the end of the fifth inning.
Toledo scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning to bring the score to 5-3.
The Herd kept the Rockets scoreless throughout the rest of the game to secure its first win.
Marshall head coach Shonda Stanton said despite a rough sixth inning, she thought her team performed well.
“Defensively, we fell apart there to make it a little bit closer than it should have been in the first game,” Stanton said.
The second game was another fast start for Marshall as it scored three runs in the first inning.
The Herd got out to a 5-0 lead once again before the visiting Rockets could get on the scoreboard. However, unlike the first game, this was not the last time the Herd would score in the game.
Marshall put up three more runs and defeated Toledo, 8-3.
In the second game, Ali Burdette was the only pitcher Toledo saw as she pitched seven innings, giving up three runs.
Stanton said her team’s base running in the second game stood out to her.
“Our base running was outstanding,” Stanton said. “And I think that was the difference in the two games.”
The Herd stole a total of 19 bases between the two games.
Lucas said she thought the team’s efficient hitting early in each game played a large role in its success.
Marshall faces the University of Kentucky 4 p.m. Wednesday at Dot Hicks Field.
Kentucky (22-3) is off to its best start through 25 games in program history.
The Wildcats are ranked No. 13 nationally in Tuesday’s ESPN/USA Today poll and No. 15 in the recent coaches’ poll release.
Christian Hisman can be contacted at [email protected].