March 30, 2002
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Alabama’s All-American pitcher Shelly Laird threw 9.2 innings over two games and allowed just seven hits and no runs as the 15th-ranked Crimson Tide swept Kentucky, 5-0 and 9-2, in Southeastern Conference softball action on Saturday, March 30 at the UK Softball Complex. The losses dropped the Wildcats to 16-17, 1-7 SEC while the Tide is now 29-11, 12-2 SEC.
Freshman Meghan Cooper (7-7) suffered the loss for the Cats in the first game as she allowed five runs on 11 hits. Senior Jennifer Howland (6-5) was saddled with the loss in game two as she surrendered nine runs on 14 hits. Laird (16-6) earned the victory in game one and her third save of the year in the nightcap. Jennifer Wright (5-2) picked up the game two win.
The Wildcats held a one-run lead four innings into game two thanks to some solid hitting by the Cats. Freshman Jessica Nance led off the bottom of the third inning with a single to right-center field and moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Brook Bowman. A bunt single by junior Nikki Jones moved Nance to third and then home as Alabama committed an error on a throw to first to give the Cats the 1-0 lead.
After the Tide knotted the game at on on a solo home run in the top of the third, the Cats’ bats got back to work. Senior Angie Dal Pozzo roped a one-out double to left field and came home two hitters later on an RBI single to right by senior Sandi Dengler.
Alabama answered the Cats putting two more on the board to take a 3-2 lead after four-and-a-half innings. UK again started to make some noise in their half of the inning as Bowman led off with a walk. Jones then reached on an error. Howland moved both of the runners up a base with a sacrifice bunt. Looking to halt the streak the Tide brought Laird in from the bullpen. After intentionally walking junior Lyndsey Angus to load the bases, Laird fanned both senior Andy Eilertson and Dal Pozzo to slam the door on UK.
The Tide tacked on another run in the top of the sixth and then five in the top of the seventh for the 9-2 win, their 13th consecutive victory over UK.
Getting runners home was again the Wildcats problem in game one as UK left a runner on base in every inning but the sixth in falling, 5-0. Laird dominated all game long, striking out seven and walking just one as she shut out the Cats for the second straight time dating back to last season.
After pitching out of a tight jam in both the first and second inning, Cooper could not keep the Tide’s bats silent in the third. A lead-off triple was followed by an RBI double and an RBI single as Bama took a 2-0 lead after the top of the third.
UK threatened to score in the bottom of the fourth with runners at the corners and one out, but an attempted double-steal was snuffed out by the Tide, gunning down Eilertson at the plate. UK could not get anyone past second after that while Bama added two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh for the final margin.
The two teams will close out the three-game series on Sunday, March 31 with a 1 p.m. start.
Game OneAlabama 0020021-5 11 1Kentucky 0000000-0 5 3WP: Laird (16-6). LP: Cooper (7-7). S: none.
Game TwoAlabama 0001215-9 14 2Kentucky0011000-2 7 1WP: Wright (5-2). LP: Howland (6-5). S: Laird (3).
-UK-
