Kentucky Wins Big in Palm Springs, California

[caption id="attachment_173927" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Photo by UK Athletics[/caption] Kentucky added two big wins to their record during the first day of the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. The Cats kicked off the day with an immense win over No. 10 Arizona at the Yankee Field in Palm Springs, California. After coming out slow in the first inning, the team picked up the pace during the second with two runs. Breanne Ray crushed her first home run of the season allowing Griffin Joiner to score. Her efforts put Kentucky up 2-0. The talented team then advanced their lead by two additional points during the top of the third thanks to Nikki Sagermann and Brooklin Hinz. While holding Arizona from scoring, the Cats added to their total with a score by Maisie Steed in the fourth. The Arizona Wildcats then scored two points during the bottom seventh making the final score 5-2. After an hour delay, Kentucky then took on Long Beach State for their second game of the tournament. The team came out strong in the first with an early 3-0 lead thanks to a single by Sagermann to allow two runs and a run of her own. With no scoring until the fourth, Joiner stole second allowing Stokes to score. This put the Cats on a 4-0 run over Long Beach State while holding them from scoring. Kentucky continued to advance their score in the fifth by three points due to an RBI and a run by Rachael Metzger. Long Beach finally got on the board during the fifth still trailing 7-1. The Cats then had a big run during the sixth advancing their lead 13-1. Christian Stokes also tied the school record for most hits in a game. https://twitter.com/UKsoftball/status/568604643837808640 Tune in tomorrow to watch Kentucky take on LIU Brooklyn and Oregon State during the second day of the tournament. @KMayfield_KSR