The University of Kentucky softball team split its two games in the UKIT Saturday night bydropping the first game to Southeast Missouri 1-0, and defeating Indiana 4-1 in the nightcap.
One day after banging out a season-high 15 hits and scoring 12 runs against Akron,UKs bats fell silent against Southeast Missouri. The game marked only the third time allseason that the Cats were held shut out.
Kentucky threatened in the second inning when shortstop Angie Dal Pozzo led off with aninfield single and moved to second as third baseman Rachel Friberg drew a walk. LeftFielder Tiffany Kruse moved the runners into scoring position but both were stranded whenAndy Eilertson struck out and Lovell grounded out to third base. Southeast Missouri alsothreatened in the bottom of the second inning when catcher Renee Enos singled to left andmoved to third on a two-out double down the left-field line by center fielder Kemi Rampi. Enoswas left at third base when right fielder Kate Cerneka grounded out to Nikki Jones at second.
Leslie Kwiatkowskis single to center field leading off the sixth was the only UK hit the rest ofthe game. The UK senior was left at second base as Lyndsey Angus grounded out toshortstop and Dal Pozzo hit a fly to right field. Dal Pozzo was robbed of a hit with one out inthe fourth inning when SEMO left fielder Shelley Conroy made a diving grab of Dal Pozzossinking line drive.
The visiting Otahkians broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth inning when junior DawnPiantino doubled to center field and crossed the plate on pitcher Jenny Doehringsgame-winning single to center.
Despite giving up only one run over six innings, Wildcat freshman Monique Lovell took theloss as she recorded her first complete game of the season. Lovell fell to 0-3 on the year.
The Cats fell behind quickly in the second game of the day as Indiana recorded three hits butmanaged to push only one run across the plate. Shortstop Lisa Mattke led off the game with asingle to left but was erased at second when catcher Brooke Monroe grounded to Dal Pozzoat shortstop. Monroe came in to score IUs only run of the game when Heather Stillianssingled to center field.
UK posted two runs on the board in the bottom of the third inning when junior Beth Fogle ledoff with an opposite-field single to left. Kwiatkowski followed with a single to right, movingFogle to second base. Nikki Jones sacrificed the runners up. Angus reached on a fielderschoice as Fogle was out at the plate, while Kwiatkowski moved to third base. Dal Pozzo thensingled, bringing home Kwiatkowski. Angus scored UKs second run of the inning on RachelFribergs single to center.
Kentuckys Tiffany Kruse made an outstanding grab of the Hoosiers Melissa Narewskistwo-out line drive to left field in the top of the fourth inning.
The Cats added a run in the sixth inning and another in the sixth to make the score 4-1.Kwiatkowski, Dal Pozzo, Friberg, and Fogle each recorded two hits in the game, withKwiatkowski scoring two of UKs runs.
Morgan Marr picked up the victory, pushing her record to 8-3 on the season.
We had two excellent pitching performances today, UK coach Beth Kirchner said. Thedifference in the two games was our ability to make adjustments at the plate against Indiana.We put the ball in play in the second game.
UK (12-12, 1-1 SEC) improved to 3-1 in the UKIT and returns to action Sunday, March 11,when the Wildcats will face Louisville in a 5 p.m. contest to close out the 2001 UKIT.
