BOWLING GREEN, Ky.- The Western Kentucky University softball team (9-6) split a doubleheader with Bowling Green State University (5-4) on a cold Wednesday afternoon at the WKU Softball Complex, as junior Emily Rousseau set a career high in strikeouts in WKU's 3-1 win while the Lady Toppers fell in the second game 8-6.

Senior Katrina Metoyer posted three hits in the night while sophomore Preslie Cruce, junior Amanda Thomas and senior Mallorie Sulaski had two each. Metoyer collected four RBI while Cruce made it around the bases three times.

Game One-WKU 3, BGSU 1

Rousseau posted a career-high 12 strikeouts in WKU's 3-1 win over Bowling Green.

In her fifth complete game of the season, Rousseau (4-2) notched the win after giving up just one hit while walking one. Six of the first nine batters the Greenwood, La., native faced struck out.

WKU opened the game with junior Olivia Watkins reaching base on a fielding error on the Falcons' second baseman. With Watkins on third from a stolen base and groundout, she put up the game's first run off of a Thomas sacrifice fly to center field.

The teams would not allow any more runs until the fourth inning when senior Shelby Taylor hit her first-career home run to right field while Cruce repeated the action in the fifth frame with a shot to left field.

Bowling Green ended the shutout in the top sixth after a fielding error allowed the run to cross home plate. However, with two on base, Rousseau would get the last batter of the inning swinging to end the contest at 3-1.

Game Two-BGSU 8, WKU 6

Four errors by the Lady Toppers could not be overcome, as WKU fell 8-6 in game two of the doubleheader against Bowling Green.

Sophomore Janna Scheff (3-2) threw all seven innings in the circle, as she gave up eight hits and six earned runs while striking out three batters. Metoyer went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead the Lady Toppers' offense.

Runs came early for WKU in the bottom first after a two-run double by Metoyer brought in Watkins and Cruce. Freshman Bethany Oglesby came in to pinch run for Thomas on first from a single later in the inning, and a miscommunication from the Falcons' catcher trying to catch Oglesby stealing would make the throw go into the outfield and let Metoyer along with Oglesby score on the play and set the game at 4-0.

Using four hits and three WKU errors in the second inning, Bowling Green found its first lead of the day to go ahead 5-4. The Falcons added another run in the following inning with an RBI single to left center.

With the opposing team ahead 6-4 in the bottom fifth, WKU knotted the game in one swing, as Metoyer hit her third home run of the season to center to bring in Cruce who reached on a single.

Bowling Green ended WKU's momentum in the top sixth with a first-pitch home run in the first at-bat of the frame to notch the game-winning run. The Falcons tabbed one more one off of a WKU throwing miscue to end the offense in the game.

WKU hits the road to open Sun Belt Conference play this weekend, as the team takes on No. 15 Louisiana-Lafayette in Lafayette, La. Saturday, March 9 marks the first contest with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. The series concludes on Sunday with a single game at noon.