No. 22 Kentucky Closes Homestand with SIUE on Tuesday

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 22 Kentucky softball team will look to extend its season-high win streak of nine games to 10 on Tuesday afternoon, as it hosts the SIUE Cougars for a midweek showdown at John Cropp Stadium.
 
Tickets will be just $1 for admittance into the ballpark. Hot dogs, peanuts and Cracker Jacks will also all be just $1.
 
First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. ET with the game airing live on the SEC Network+, ESPN3 and the ESPN app. Dave Baker and NFCA Executive Director Carol Bruggeman will have the call from Lexington at the top of the hour.
 
UK will be riding a nine-game winning streak on Tuesday afternoon, as the Wildcats have won all games since losing to Minnesota in the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic in Orlando.
 
Over the weekend, UK hit .375 as a team this weekend with 35 runs crossing the plate and notching 50 hits. The Wildcats outscored their opponents 35-9 and pitched 33 innings with a 1.64 team ERA.
 
UK’s offense continues to be the storyline of 2018, having scored 42 more runs through 17 games than it did all of last year. The Wildcats are fifth in the nation and first in the SEC in stolen bases with 37 on the year, and have hit 18 home runs.
 
In the circle, the Wildcats have been dominant on the homestand, allowing just six earned runs in five games, as the pitching staff of Grace Baalman, Erin Rethlake, Autumn Humes and Larissa Spellman currently sport a 1.64 ERA in these games. Baalman has been the gem of the staff this season so far, with a 1.83 ERA and seven wins to her name already. She has allowed zero or one run in 10 of her 11 appearances.
 
Offensively, Bailey Vick leads the charge with a .479 batting average and 23 hits with 11 runs scored. She has also stolen a team-high nine bases with four RBI to her name. Katie Reed has caught fire this week, hitting .533 on the homestand, and .446 on the season with 22 runs on 25 hits. The St. Louis native has four doubles, three triples and two home runs, exposing her power more than ever before.
 
Jenny Schaper has also been a brightspot this season, hitting .420 with 21 hits and 13 runs scored. Most of Schaper’s damage has come in RBI situations, where she has knocked in 17 runs this season, only trailing Abbey Cheek in that department, who has 21.
 
For the latest on UK Softball, follow the Wildcats on Twitter and Instagram at @UKSoftball.