Rachel Friberg went 4-for-7 as the Kentucky softball team spilt a pair of games with the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky Wednesday in Bowling Green. UK won the first game, 5-2, before a two-run sixth inning led WKU to a 4-3 win in the nightcap.

The Cats got on board first in the fourth inning of game one, as Meghan Cooper singled and Emily Marks reached first on a fielder?s choice with no one out in the frame. Katie Campbell advanced both runners on a sacrifice bunt, and Cooper beat the throw home on a fielder?s choice from Amy Kendall to give UK an early 1-0 lead. Lori Melchi followed with an RBI single to right field, scoring pinch runner Callie Kovacs for a two-run advantage.

WKU got one back in their half of the inning, as Sam Hansen led off the order with a stand-up double to right field and rounded the bases on an Allison Silver RBI double.

The Cats added two more in the fifth on consecutive RBIs from Emily Marks and Katie Campbell, and each team tacked on a run in the seventh for the final 5-2 tally.

Friberg and Marks each ended the game 2-for-4 at the plate. Marks also added a run and an RBI while Friberg scored twice. Amy Kendall (8-13) earned the win in the complete game, giving up eight hits while striking out two.

Marks began the second game of the doubleheader where she left off, launching her sixth home run of the year over the left field wall in the second. The Toppers rallied in the third behind three consecutive base hits to tie the game with no outs in the inning, but the Cats sat down the next three batters to get out of the jam.

The Cats and Toppers each scored again over the next two innings, but WKU broke open the tie game in the sixth, as Pennington singled to left field, scoring Alana Towns from third. As Lindsay Gatti tried to move to third on the play, a bad throw from left went over the third-base bag, and Gatti came home on the error. UK?s scored one in the seventh, but their attempted rally came up just one run short as they fell 4-3.

The Cats have a week off before returning to action next Wednesday at Ohio State.