Feb. 22, 2002
Chattanooga, Tenn. – The University of Kentucky softball team defeated Evansville 6-5 in 10 innings and used an eight-run first inning to destroy Birmingham Southern 13-2 in five innings at the Sonic Challenge in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The Wildcats sent 14 batters to the plate in the bottom of the first inning against Birmingham Southern. The first nine batters got on base, including a double by Sandi Dengler, singles by Beth Fogle, Nikki Jones, Lyndsey Angus, Meghan Cooper and Brook Bowman, plus a three-run home run to dead center field by Andy Eilertson. It was Eilertson’s second of the season.
The Panthers scored twice in the top half of the second inning, but the Cats’ bats got hot again in the fourth, when they scored five more runs, including a three-run blast by Megan Brooks. It was Brooks’ first career home run.
Kentucky held on in the top of the fifth and won the game by way of the 8-run mercy rule. Morgan Marr improved her record to 2-4 while giving up only one earned run in the victory.
“Our offense in the first inning was contagious,” said Head Coach Beth Kirchner. “It was excellent to see everyone attack the ball.”
In the first game of the afternoon, Meghan Cooper singled in Andy Eilertson in the bottom of the tenth inning to give Kentucky the thrilling 6-5 victory over Evansville. It was UK’s fourth extra-inning game this season and the first that has gone more past the ninth inning.
Evansville struck first in the top of the second inning, scoring two runs on four hits. After giving up a lead-off double in the top of the third, Kentucky’s starting pitcher Jennifer Howland was replaced by Cooper, who completed the next eight innings for her third victory of the season.
Evansville was held scoreless for the next five innings and Kentucky looked for the opportunity to catch the Purple Aces. Nikki Jones started off the bottom of the fourth inning and moved around the bases when Angie Dal Pozzo walked, Andy Eilertson was hit by a pitch, and Jessica Nance reached on an error by the pitcher. Rachel Friberg then tied the game with an RBI single to left field scoring Dal Pozzo.
The score remained tied until Evansville scored on in the top of the eighth, when the international tiebreaker rule of starting the inning with a runner on second. UK answered in the bottom half of the inning when Dal Pozzo knocked Jones in.
The teams traded runs in the ninth inning and the Purple Aces scored again in the top of the tenth. In the bottom half of the inning, Eilertson singled home Dal Pozzo who had been placed at second. Eilertson advanced to third on an error and scored the game winner on a single by Meghan Cooper.
The Wildcats improve to 7-6 and will face Belmont and Western Kentucky on Saturday as the Sonic Challenge continues.
Game OneKentucky 6, Evansville 5Evansville 020 000 011 1 5 12 3Kentucky 000 200 011 2 6 10 2WP: Cooper (3-2) LP: Clutch (2-5)
Game TwoKentucky 13, Birmingham Southern 2Birmingham Southern 020 00 2 3 2Kentucky 800 5X 13 13 1WP: Marr (2-4) LP: Rodgers
