The Cats finish out their regular season at 36-27.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 3, 2000) — The University of Kentucky softballteam closed out the regular season with two wins overTennessee to sweep the four-game series from the LadyVols. UK erupted with eight runs in the bottom of the sixthin the opener to defeat UT, 10-2, while putting four runnersacross in the sixth to down the Lady Vols 4-0 in thenightcap. The Cats finish the regular season with a 36-27record overall and 15-13 in the Southeastern Conference.
Junior Leslie Kwiatkowski and freshman Lyndsey Angus ledUK’s offensive explosion, helping the Cats’ to their firstsweep in school history over a Southeastern Conferenceopponent in a four-game series. UK outscored the LadyVols, 26-3, in the four-game set.
On the day, Kwiatkowski went 5-for-6 with a double, a tripleand hit her fourth home run of the season. She also scoredthree runs and recorded four runs batted in. Angus, a nativeof Leominster, Mass., went 6-for-7, including her first careertriple, to go along with two RBI and three runs scored.
“I am very proud of the way we came out ready to play forthe SEC Eastern Division crown,” UK coach Beth Kirchnersaid. “It was an excellent way to send off our seniors, whohave had a huge part in building this program.”
The Cats lead the SEC Eastern Division by three and a half games over Florida. TheGators have a four-game series against Georgia beginning Saturday in Gainesville,Fla. If Georgia wins one of the four games, UK will win the SEC East and be thesecond seed in the upcoming SEC Tournament next weekend in Columbus. If theGators sweep the Bulldogs, the Cats will finish second in the East and be thetournament’s six seed.
The SEC Tournament will be held, May 11-14, at South Commons Stadium inColumbus, Ga., the same venue that hosted the 1996 Olympic softball tournament.
UK fell behind in the opener, 1-0, on UT catcher Maura Mollet’s RBI-single to left field,scoring April Phillips who reached on a triple to start the game. Starting pitcher KearyCamunas was pulled after one-third of an inning and replaced by reliever Morgan Marr.
The Cats took the lead in the bottom of the fourth on Kwiatkowski’s two-run blast toright off UT starter Leslie Poole. The Lady Vols tied the game at 2-2, in the top of thesixth on Janette Koshell’s RBI-single that scored Phillips from third.
In the bottom of the sixth, UK lit up Poole for 10 hits and eight runs as the Cats’scored a 10-2 victory in six innings due to the eight-run mercy rule. Marr was strong inrelief, scattering just five hits the rest of the way. The freshman hurler from Vienna,Va., improved to 7-7, while Poole dropped to 9-10 with the loss. Tiffany Kruse added a2-for-4 performance at the plate for UK with two RBI and scored a run.
In the nightcap, UK’s Jen Howland and UT’s Jackie Beavers were locked in a pitchersduel until the bottom of the sixth when the Cats hit back-to-back-to-back doubles offBeavers with two outs.
Nikki Jones and Beth Fogle each popped up for the first two outs of the inning. Angusthen came to the plate and singled, as the ball deflected off UT third basemanAmanda Venable’s glove. Kwiatkowski hit a RBI-double to right center that scoredAngus, followed by a Kruse double to left center, scoring Kwiatkowski. ShortstopAngie Dal Pozzo belted a double down the left field line as Kruse came across, givingUK a 3-0 lead. Andrea Eilertson, who went 2-for-3, followed with a RBI-single to rightcenter, scoring Dal Pozzo to give the Cats a 4-0 win.
“This season has been much more rewarding in terms of winning and the hard workby our kids is starting to pay off,” Kirchner said.
R H EUT 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 8 2UK 0 0 0 2 0 8 10 11 1WP - Camunas, Marr (7-7) and Angus; LP - Poole (9-10),Humphrey and Mollet.2B - Phillips (UT), Venable (UT); 3B - Phillips (UT),Angus (UK), Kwiatkowski (UK); HR - Kwiatkowski (UK).R H EUT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 1UK 0 0 0 0 0 4 x 4 12 1WP - Howland (10-7) and Angus; LP -Beavers (14-18) and Mollet.2B - Fletcher (UT), Kwiatkowski (UK), Kruse (UK),Dal Pozzo (UK).Records - UT (27-34, 5-22 SEC); UK (36-27, 15-13)
