The University of Kentucky softball team opened its 2001 season today, Feb. 9, at the University of Texas-Arlington Tournament, winning one game and dropping two. The Wildcats first faced defending national champion Oklahoma, as the Sooners defeated UK 10-1. Kentucky won the next game, against Texas-San Antonio, 9-4, and dropped the third game 9-8, against Baylor.

Kentucky (1-2, 0-0 SEC) started the day against the Sooners, who got out to a quick lead in the first inning as Erin Evans scored on a wild pitch. Kentucky came back in the fourth inning to tie it up as Leslie Kwiatkowski nailed a double to get on base before Rachel Friberg’s RBI brought Kwiatkowski home. Oklahoma exploded in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring nine runs. Due to the mercy rule, the game ended in the fifth inning. Kwiatkowski went two for two in the game.

The Wildcats scored first against Texas-San Antonio as Beth Fogle scored in the third inning when Tiffany Kruse hit a sacrifice fly with bases loaded. In the fourth inning, Kentucky went on a scoring frenzy, scoring eight runs. Nikki Jones scored when Angie Dal Pozzo was hit by a pitch, then Lyndsey Angus hit an RBI to score Kwiatkowski. Tiffany Kruse hit a double, clearing the bases before Monique Lovell hits a single to score Kruse. Pitcher Morgan Marr had five strikeouts in the inning.

The Baylor Bears were the final opponent for the Cats. Kentucky jumped to the early lead as Jones scored in the first inning. In the second inning Andy Eilertson hit a double, followed by a Beth Fogle single, after which Fogle tried to steal second, scoring Eilertson. The Bears came back in the second to make it 2-1, and scored four runs in the fourth inning to go up 5-2. In the fifth inning, Fogle hit a single and scored with a Kwiatkowski double to make it 5-3. The score remained until the seventh inning when the Cats scored five runs to put Kentucky up, 8-5. In the bottom of the seventh, the Bears tied it up at 8-8 to send the game into overtime. Baylor’s Naomi Fitzgerald scored a run in the bottom of the eighth to win 9-8. Tiffany Kruse went 2-4 with two doubles and Kwiatkowski went 2-4 with two doubles and a hit by a pitch.

The Wildcats will face Stephen F. Austin University at 9 a.m. CT on Saturday, February 10, 2001 at Mike Lewis Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.

                R       H       EOklahoma        10      6       0Kentucky        1       4       1                R       H       ETX-San Antonio  4       9       0Kentucky        9       10      1                R       H       EBaylor          9       13      1Kentucky        8       15      3