March 9, 2009
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky softball team will take a break from conference play for a mid-week doubleheader with Morehead State on Tuesday. The Eagles and Wildcats will toss the first pitch at 3 p.m. on Tuesday for a two-game affair between the in-state squads.
UK opened the 2009 SEC slate on the road in Baton Rouge, La., this weekend; marking the fourth straight weekend the Wildcats were on the road to start the season.
The two squads split on the first day of action with LSU taking a slim 3-2 victory in the first game. After allowing the Tigers to roll out to a 5-0 lead, the Blue and White put together an improbable comeback for a 6-5 eight-inning win in game two. Down by three going into the top half of the seventh, UK loaded the bases and junior Natalie Smith delivered a bases clearing double to tie the score. UK wasted little time in the eighth inning as sophomore Meagan Aull earned a game-winning RBI sacrifice fly to upset the No. 19 Tigers. LSU would go on to clinch the series in Sunday’s game.
UK was led at the plate by junior Molly Johnson who batted .500 for the weekend and swiped three bases in the three-game series. Freshman pitcher Chanda Bell got the victory over LSU and pitched a combined 9.0 innings of work while tossing 16 strikeouts. In just four weeks as a collegiate pitcher, she now ranks among the top-10 all-time at Kentucky in wins (seven) and strikeouts (82).
Kentucky holds a 10-6 overall record this season which includes a 9-4 non-conference record to open the year. Morehead State will take a 10-2 overall record into the match-up with the Wildcats. The Eagles faced one SEC opponent earlier this season, taking on Auburn in the third game of the season. The Tigers captured a 2-0 victory in the match-up. Auburn coincidentally will be the next SEC opponent on UK’s slate.
Morehead State is currently on a nine-game winning streak and is led offensively by a pair of .400 batters. Rebecca Butler is hitting .441 on the season and has a team-high three home runs. Bri Jones is also hitting above .400 at a .410 clip.
In the circle, Alex Gjevre holds a 6-1 record and an astounding 0.68 earned run average. Sarah Funston is a perfect 4-0 and has a 1.71 ERA. The duo has combined to toss more than 80 strikeouts already this season.
Complete coverage of the UK softball team can be found at UKathletics.com.
