March 4, 2002
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
The University of Kentucky softball team will get back out on the field Tuesday, March 5, as the Wildcats travel to Bluegrass rival Morehead State for a double-header. The first game is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. ET.
The Wildcats (10-7) are coming off a first-place finish in the Sonic Challenge held in Chattanooga, Tenn., Feb. 22-24. UK went 5-1 during the tournament with their lone loss coming at the hands of Western Kentucky, 6-5. Junior Nikki Jones led the Cats offensively, hitting .591 with two triples and seven RBI. Freshman Meghan Cooper was a force in the pitching circle, throwing 19.0 innings and allowing just four earned runs to drop her season ERA to 2.05. For the tournament, UK outscored it’s opponents 56-16, erupting for 31 runs in back-to-back wins over Birmingham Southern, 13-2, and Belmont, 18-2.
“We hope to build off the aggressiveness we displayed with our bats during the last tournament,” UK Coach Beth Kirchner said. “We will look to keep it going at Morehead State tomorrow and then again into this weekend when we host the UK Invitational Tournament.”
The Eagles are currently 2-4 with their two wins coming against Rider and Northern Kentucky and are coming off of a loss to Appalachian State to close out the Cavalier Classic.
This will be the 12th and 13th times that the Cats and Eagles have squared off. UK holds a 10-1 advantage in the series, downing MSU 8-0 and 15-0 last season in Lexington. UK will next be in action on Saturday, March 9, when it plays host to the UK Invitational Tournament.
-UK-
