UK Softball bounces back with pair of wins in Tuscon
Following a 4-1 start to the season last weekend, the No. 20 Kentucky Softball team returned to action on Friday at the 2022 Hillenbrand Invitational.
Game #1 – No. 20 Kentucky vs. UC Santa Barbara
The ‘Cats started the day with a school record 23-0 win over UC Santa Barbara. Yes, you read that right — Kentucky’s offense brought the heat to Tuscon to say the least.
Rylea Smith got things started off with a single up the middle to score Kayla Kowalik and give UK a 1-0 lead. Lauren Johnson bombed a two-RBI homer to right field later in the inning to extend the lead to 3-0.
Erin Coffel and Kennedy Sullivan got involved in the bottom of the second, combining for five RBI. It was the bottom of the third, though, where things got a little ugly for the UCSB ‘Olés.”
Kentucky hammered through 10 runs in the bottom of the third. Most notably, Lauren Johnson doubled to left center to score Vanessa Nesby and Kowalik. Speaking of Kowalik, she was on fire for the ‘Cats. She finished a perfect 4-4 at the plate with two singles, a triple and a homer.
The ‘Cats pushed through five more runs in the bottom of the fourth, making it a 23-0 game. That is the most runs scored in a single game in UK’s program history.
Wildcat sophomore Stephanie Schoonover got the win from the mound. She ended with seven strikeouts and zero hits, moving her to 2-0 on the season. As a result of the win, UK head coach Rachel Lawson recorded her 500th win with the program.
Game #2 – No. 20 Kentucky vs. Loyola Marymount
Game 2 of the double-header started a little late after the thumping the ‘Cats handed out in the first match. This one was a lot more competitive, though.
Loyola struck first off a double driven down the left field line from Morgan DeBord, but Kowalik’s offensive success continued into this second match. She singled on a 3-2 count to reach base for Kentucky’s first at-bat. She successfully stole second shortly after. The next Wildcat batters couldn’t get anything going, though, leaving her stranded.
After the few hiccups in the first, Stoddard was ready to go from the circle in the second. She had a quick 1-2-3 inning to give the Kentucky offense another chance to respond — and this time they did.
A walk pushed Renee Abernathy past home plate, leaving the bases loaded. Tatum Spangler took full advantage with an RBI single to left field to score Babbs, bringing Kowalik back to bat at the top of the order with no outs. Kowalik flied out, scoring Ebbs and giving UK a 3-1 lead.
Stoddard got a little shaken up again in the top of the third. After a wild pitch that put runners on second and third, she hit her next batter and loaded the bases before a single from LMU’s DeBord cut the Wildcat lead to 3-2. Another wild pitch and a pair of hits gave the Lions a two-run lead before Kennedy Sullivan replaced Stoddard to end the inning.
Erin Coffel homered in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 7 all. That, along with some impressive crunch time pitching the WKU transfer Sullivan, took the game to extra innings.
The Lions took a slim one-run lead in the top of the 8th, but Kentucky was determined to leave with a win. An RBI fly out to left field from Stoddard tied it and a double from winning pitcher Alexia Lacatena finished it off. ‘Cats win it 7-6 in extra innings.
What’s next?
The 6-1 ‘Cats will play two more games on Saturday. The first against Long Beach State at 2 p.m. and the second at No. 11 Arizona. First pitch for that game is scheduled for 7 p.m. and can be watched on the PAC-12 Digital Network.
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