LEXINGTON, Ky. ? The Kentucky softball team will continue its four-game stretch of non-conference competition tomorrow, Apr. 10, when it hosts in-state rival Eastern Kentucky for a single game. First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m. at the UK Softball Complex.
The Wildcats will then travel to Louisville on Wednesday for a single game against the Cardinals at 5 p.m. UK then returns to Southeastern Conference action when it hosts No. 1 Tennessee for a three-game set this weekend.
Kentucky and EKU will meet for the 20th time on Tuesday. The two teams split a pair of games last season and Kentucky leads 12-7 all-time in the series. The Wildcats split a doubleheader with Western Kentucky in their last outing to go to 2-1 against Kentucky schools this season. UK also defeated Louisville earlier this year in Lexington.
The Colonels are 18-18 entering this week?s contest and have won seven of their last ten games. Shyenne Hussey leads Eastern with a .464 batting average, 36 RBI, 10 doubles and eight home runs. Chanze Patterson follows with a .364 average and leads the squad with 28 runs scored. Kelsey Anderson owns a 3.32 ERA and an 8-10 record which is tops on the team. She has recorded 112 strikeouts in 107.2 innings of work and has thrown 10 complete games this season for the Colonels.
The Wildcats are coming off a come-from-behind win over WKU last Thursday afternoon. Sophomore Katie McCarty delivered a game-winning two-run home run in just her third at-bat of the season to snap a season-long six-game losing streak. Kentucky is now 18-17 on the year and 4-12 in SEC play which matches the league win total from each of the past two seasons.
UK senior Brooke Marnitz continues to shine at the plate, leading the team with a .421 average, 17 home runs, 48 RBI and 35 runs scored. Freshman Natalie Smith ranks second with a .385 batting average, 29 runs scored and is third on the team with seven doubles. Senior Katie Campbell continues to add to her total as Kentucky?s all-time home run leader. The catcher has 10 homers this season to give her 28 career bombs. Marnitz homered three times in the WKU series and is now second all-time with 27 career homers.
