Scattering 28 hits helped the Lady Toppers steal their first Sun Belt Conference series of the season from Middle Tennessee State.

Western split a doubleheader with MTSU on Saturday, and took the series with a 7-3 win Sunday.

In the last game of the series, the Lady Toppers continued to bring on the bats, tallying 11 hits off Blue Raiders pitching.

MTSU’s pitching staff was not the caliber of pitching the Lady Toppers were used to seeing, senior outfielder Jennifer Brooks said.

Senior outfielder Alana Towns went 3-for-3 at the plate with two doubles and a triple.

Seven Lady Toppers recorded hits in the series finale.

Even though the Lady Toppers would have liked to sweep all three of their games, they were pleased with how their first weekend of conference play went, coach Rachel Lawson said.

“Every single player contributed this weekend and that was very nice to see,” said. “Everybody played at a high level, so I am very, very proud of them for that.”

After dropping the first game of a doubleheader to MTSU (10-29-1, 1-2 Sun Belt Conference East Division) on Saturday, the Lady Toppers (20-18, 2-1 SBC East) kept their focus to take the next two games.

“The thing about our sport is you have to turn around and it’s a new game,” Lawson said. “You can’t live in the past, you have to learn from your mistakes and keep moving.”

Despite a three-run home run from freshman designated player Amanda Ford-Feitz, the Lady Toppers were edged by the Blue Raiders 5-4 in extra innings after a four-run seventh inning rally in the first match-up Saturday.

Recovering fast from game one, the Lady Toppers would take the second contest of the afternoon, blazing past MTSU, 7-3.

In the bottom of the second inning, freshman third baseman Rebecca Horesky stepped in the box with bases loaded and two outs.

With one swing of the bat, Horesky belted her first grand slam of the season, giving the Lady Toppers a 5-0 lead.

Getting their bats going, hitting the gaps and getting people around to score are things the Lady Toppers have been working hard to be more consistent at, Brooks said.

“Our bats finally came together in conference play,” Brooks said. “It wasn’t just one person hitting at one time. It was everybody hitting together and getting all the little things done like bunts, steals and playing hard defense.”

Freshman pitcher Jennifer Kempf put in five innings of work in the second game of the day before freshman Ryan Rogge stepped into the circle in the sixth.

The Lady Toppers put up two more runs in the bottom of the fifth giving Rogge just enough room to seal the game.

The Blue Raiders were surprisingly more aggressive at the plate than the Lady Toppers initially thought, Lawson said.

“They come out and they swing the bat,” Lawson said. “They do a great job at hitting the ball when a pitcher makes a mistake.”

The Lady Toppers continue conference play this weekend at Troy for a three-game series.

Preparing through the week for the Trojans will be business as usual for the Lady Toppers, Ford-Feitz said.

The first game of a doubleheader against Troy will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday, followed by the second at 6. The Lady Toppers will finish up the series at 1 p.m. Sunday.