Senior second baseman Terri Ellingsworth applied what she had practiced in situational hitting to two pitches that left the WKU Softball Complex, as Ellingsworth hit home runs twice in Saturday’s double header against North Texas.

The Lady Toppers picked up a Sun Belt Conference series win, winning game one 6-4 and falling in game two 11-6. Western also beat North Texas 4-1 on Friday night.

“I was really excited about the first one,” Ellingsworth said. “I hit it to right field, and I never hit it to right field. You feel it whenever you hit it, and you know it’s going to be out. It’s a great feeling.”

Ellingsworth led the Lady Toppers in game two offensively going 3-3, with two home runs and five RBIs, and also drew a walk.

Coach Tyra Perry said she was pleased with the offense despite losing the third game of the series.

“I was proud of them,” Perry said. “I think they are showing that they want it. We have been working a lot on our hitting. I have basically been saying that every week.”

The Lady Toppers have had some success with getting runners on base this season, and their on-base percentage is .316.

Western was forced to overcome four defensive errors in game two on Saturday as well as a four-run deficit.

The Lady Toppers would eventually tie the game at six after Ellingsworth hit her second home run of the game, driving in three runs.

But in the top of the seventh inning, senior pitcher Jennifer Kempf gave up five runs, which was too much for Western to recover from as they dropped the game 11-6.

“I’m really proud of the team for coming back and fighting,” Kempf said. “I can’t place blame on anything else. It’s one of those things where I could have made better pitches, and it’s one of those days that you have to shake off.”

In the first game Saturday, Western’s hitting powered the team to overcome North Texas. The Lady Toppers scored the first run in the game along with three more in the fifth inning. After North Texas also posted a four-run inning, Western would score two runs in the bottom of the sixth and hold on for a 6-4 win.

With the win, senior pitcher Ryan Rogge picked up her twentieth win of the season. Rogge has already posted three more wins than last season with 11 more games to play this season before the Lady Toppers head to Denton, Texas for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

Rogge said that she had hoped for the success she has had this season.

“I know that I’ve put in a lot of work, so I am glad I got here,” Rogge said. “But I didn’t know what this season was going to hold until it started.”

Western’s softball team will return to the field when it hosts Florida Atlantic in a double-header at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the WKU Softball Complex.