May 10, 2001
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The University of Kentucky softball team fell short in its’ bid to upset No. 22 (USA Today/NFCA) South Carolina Thursday afternoon as the Lady Gamecocks topped the Wildcats 5-1 in the opening round of the Southeastern Tournament. The loss drops UK (27-33, 10-19 SEC) into the loser’s bracket of the double-elimination tournament, where the Wildcats will face Arkansas (34-29, 14-17 SEC) in the second round. The Lady Razorbacks dropped a 2-0 decision to No. 7 Alabama in the first game of the tournament.
The Lady Gamecocks took an early lead when catcher Amber Curtis drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Megan Donahoo from third base in the bottom of the first inning, scoring the game’s first run. USC’s Joyce McMillan led off the bottom of the first inning by drawing a walk, but was erased as Donahoo hit into a fielder’s choice. Debralee Troesh followed with a line drive to center field for a single, and designated player Adrianna Bagetta was hit on the foot by a Morgan Marr pitch to load the bases with one out. Curtis then came to the plate, drawing the base on balls to force in the first run. The Wildcats got out of the inning when catcher Adrienne Genovese hit a hard one-hopper to UK’s Andy Eilertson, who fired home to force Troesh out at the plate, and Lyndsey Angus threw to Nikki Jones covering first base, completing the double play.
With two outs in the top of the second inning, Eilertson almost tied the game with one swing of the bat when the junior first baseman nailed a double that hit off the fence in straightaway center field. Eilertson was stranded at second when Rachel Friberg was called out on strikes for the third out.
The Cats used another of their nine lives in the second inning when Samantha Jennings led off the inning with a double over the head of UK center-fielder Beth Fogle. Danielle Quinones bounced sharply back to Marr in the circle, but the Wildcat pitcher’s throw to third base was too late to get Jennings. The next two USC batters bounced back to Marr, who threw to first for the outs. South Carolina loaded the bases with a two-out walk to Donahoo, but Troesh bounced to Dal Pozzo at shortstop for the third out.
Senior Leslie Kwiatkowski extended her hitting streak to five games when she bunted to the left side for a single with two outs in the third inning. Kwiatkowski was left at first base as Nikki Jones lined out to Jennings at third base.
Angus led off the Kentucky fourth inning with a bunt single, and moved to second when it appeared the Lady Gamecocks had the UK catcher picked off at first base, but USC second baseman Troesh threw wildly trying to get Angus going into second base. South Carolina ace Megan Matthews then settled down to retire the next three Wildcat batters.
Angus turned in the defensive gem of the game in the bottom of the fourth. USC’s Jennings led off the home-half of the inning with a single back up the middle. Quinones then attempted to sacrifice Jennings over with a bunt, but Angus made an outstanding dive to grab the ball before it hit the ground in fair territory.
The Lady Gamecocks broke the game open by scoring three unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Back-to-back errors by UK third baseman Rachel Friberg with one out allowed USC to put runners at first and second. Amber Curtis then singled, and the umpire ruled that Friberg interfered with the runner moving to third, and allowed the runner to score the go-ahead run, making it 2-0. Quinones singled back up the middle with two outs to plate the second run of the inning, and Jodi Fittro singled to push across the final run of the inning.
The Wildcats got on the scoreboard in the sixth inning when Angus connected on a Matthews offering and sent the ball over the left-field wall for the All-SEC sophomore’s third home run of the season, cutting the deficit to 4-1. South Carolina tacked on another unearned run in the bottom of the sixth to set the final score at 5-1, with the Wildcats going down in order in the top of the seventh.
Sophomore hurler Morgan Marr went the distance, giving up five runs, one earned, in six innings of work. Marr falls to 17-15 on the season.
Friday’s contest features a rematch of last weekend. Kentucky and Arkansas concluded the regular season against one another in Fayetteville, Ark., with the Wildcats winning the opening game 3-1, but dropping the final two games by scores of 4-0 and 1-0. The Wildcats and Lady Razorbacks are scheduled to take the field in a noon contest on Friday, May 11, at Jim Frost Stadium.
AGATE
Kentucky 000 001 0 1 4 4South Carolina 100 031 X5 8 1
WP-Matthews (21-11) and Genovese, LP- Marr (17-15) and Angus, 2B- Eilertson, Jennings, HR- Angus, HBP- Bagetta, SF- Curtis Records- UK (27-33), USC (38-17-1)
