April 14, 2002
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The University of Kentucky could not find their way around the bases for the third consecutive game as the Wildcats fell to South Carolina, 2-0, in Southeastern Conference softball action at USC’s Beckham Field on Sunday, April 14. South Carolina improves to 34-12, 15-6 SEC while UK is now 19-23, 3-12 SEC.
Carolina’s Megan Matthews (18-5) earned the win with 6.0 innings of work, allowing just six hits while striking out five. SEC Pitcher of the Week Aleca Johnson earned her fifth save of the year by pitching a scoreless seventh. UK’s Jennifer Howland (6-7) took the loss.
The Gamecocks broke the scoreless tie with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Meghan Cornett led off USC’s half of the inning with her second home run of the series, a line drive shot down the leftfield line for the day’s first run. USC tacked on another as Adrianna Baggetta singled to center, moved to second as Danielle Quinones walked and then came home on Jodi Fittro’s RBI single.
Howland pitched magnificently over the first three innings, surrendering no hits and allowing just one ball to make it out of the infield, a fly out to senior Sandi Dengler in shallow left-centerfield.
One of Kentucky’s best chances to light up the scoreboard came in the fifth inning when junior Nikki Jones reached base on a two-out single to short and moved to second as classmate Angus followed with a four-pitch walk. However, Matthews pitched out of the jam by enticing senior Angie Dal Pozzo to fly out to center to end the inning.
USC had threatened to put on a run on the board in the bottom of the fourth but a beautiful throw from left fielder Sandi Dengler to catcher Lyndsey Agnus ended the inning. Kim Evans, who had Carolina’s first hit of the afternoon, a one-out single up the middle, tried to come home on Debralee Troesh’s single to left, but Dengler came up throwing and caught Evans trying to score from second on the play.
For the series, UK was outscored 11-0 with just 11 hits for the weekend.
The Wildcats will play their final non-conference games of the season on Tuesday, April 16 when they travel down I-75 to Richmond, Ky., for a doubleheader with Eastern Kentucky. The twin bill is set to start at 2 p.m. EDT.
Kentucky 000 000 0 - 0 6 0S. Carolina 000 020 X - 2 7 2
-UK-
