April 19, 2002
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
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The University of Kentucky softball team begins the stretch run for a berth in the Southeastern Conference Tournament when the Cats play host to No. 5 (USA Today/NFCA) LSU this weekend at the UK Softball Complex. The series starts with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 20, and will conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m. EDT.
“We are excited about the opportunity to play the No. 5 team in the nation,” UK Coach Beth Kirchner said. “Obviously they are very talented. For us to succeed we need to stay in the attack mode offensively and we need to minimize our own mistakes defensively.”
The Wildcats (21-23, 3-12 SEC) enter this weekend’s series riding the momentum of a doubleheader sweep over Eastern Kentucky this past Tuesday in Richmond, Ky., 4-3 in eight innings and 9-2. Senior Jennifer Howland and junior Morgan Marr teamed up for the game one victory while freshman Meghan Cooper went the distance in game two, allowing just five hits for the win.
The Cats continue to be one of the SEC’s best hitting teams as UK sports a .298 team batting average with junior Nikki Jones (.428) and senior Beth Fogle (.404) holding two of the top four batting averages in the league.
The Tigers (37-8, 17-3 SEC) enter the series with a precarious half-game lead over Alabama for the top spot in the SEC. LSU has won seven straight games and 17 of its last 18 games. All-America candidate senior Britni Sneed (20-5, 0.99 ERA) and sophomore Kristin Schmidt (13-3, 0.97 ERA) lead the SEC’s top pitching staff while senior Trena Peel leads the Tigers at the plate with a .370 batting average, 12 triples, 29 RBI and a slugging percentage of .616.
The Cats and Tigers have clawed away at each other nine previous times with LSU winning all nine, six via shutout. The Tigers took the three-game series by a combined score of 25-2 last season in Baton Rouge, La., shutting out the Cats in two of the contests. LSU has only visited Lexington once, winning a pair of games in 1999.
All the games can be followed live on the Internet at www.UKathletics.com.
-UK-
