Kentucky Softball drops 2nd game to Virginia Tech, knocked out of NCAAs
Kentucky Softball entered Sunday needing one win in two tries to make a fifth consecutive NCAA Super Regional. Unfortunately for the ‘Cats, 3-seeded Virginia Tech found a way to secure back-to-back victories in front of their home crowd to win the Blacksburg Regional.
The Wildcats’ 2022 season comes to an end with a 37-19 record, including a 13-11 mark in the Southeastern Conference. Several key players are expected to return in the 2023 season, including stars Kayla Kowalik and Erin Coffel, as Kentucky figures to contend once again for a deep postseason run.
Kowalik kicked things off for the ‘Cats in game two on Sunday, sending the third pitch of the game out of the park to put her squad up 1-0. Two batters later, Coffel successfully swung for the fences too, giving UK an immediate 2-0 lead. But similar to what happened earlier in the day, Virginia Tech answered right back. The Hokies hit a two-run bomb in the bottom of the first to knot the score at 2-2.
A double from Coffel in the top of the third would put Kentucky in front once again, 3-2. Not long after that, Virginia Tech’s head coach Pete D’Amour was ejected for arguing against illegal pitches that were ruled against the Hokies’ starting pitcher, Emma Lemly, who was called for four illegal pitches in the first outing of the day. VT would later swap out Lemly in the top of the fourth for Keely Rochard.
In the bottom of the fifth with two Hokies runners on, Kentucky head coach Rachel Lawson would take out starting pitcher Stephanie Schoonover after allowing four hits in 4.0 innings of action. Alexis Lacatena would come in, but quickly gave up a three-run home run that pushed Virginia Tech ahead 5-3, shifting the game’s momentum. Lawson immediately replaced Lacatena with Miranda Stoddard.
Following a scoreless sixth inning, Kentucky entered the top of the seventh in a do-or-die scenario. The ‘Cats put two runners on base with zero outs to start the inning. Kowalik would strike out next but Lauren Johnson found her way on base, moving Margaret Tobias to third in the process.
Up to the plate with the season hanging in the balance was Coffel, who lined a rocket down the third-base line that forced VT into an error throwing to first. Tobias would score to bring the score to 5-4 in favor of the Hokies. Kentucky now had runners on first and second with Renee Abernathy at-bat and two outs on the counter. However, facing a 1-2 pitch, Abernathy would ground out to third base, sending Virginia Tech into the Super Regionals.
Kentucky will miss out on the Super Regionals for the first time since 2016.
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