May 3, 2002
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
Photo Gallery
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
Jennifer Howland allowed just four hits and junior Nikki Jones was a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles as Kentucky downed visiting Arkansas, 4-0, in the first game of a Southeastern Conference doubleheader on Friday, May 3 at the UK Softball Complex. The Razorbacks responded in game two, avoiding the series sweep with a 7-2 victory. With the split, UK ends the season 24-32, 6-21 SEC. The Lady’Backs end the regular season 38-24-1, 14-16 SEC, and will have to wait out the weekend to find out what seed they will be in the conference tournament.
Pitching in her final collegiate game, Howland (7-10) had one of her finest outings all season, at one point retiring nine consecutive batters before an error allowed UA’s second base-runner of the game. However, Howland and the UK defense responded, sitting down the next five hitters and never allowing anyone to get beyond second base the entire game.
“Jen gave us a really solid outing today,” UK Coach Beth Kirchner said. “I was really happy for her. It was great for her to come out on her last day and pitch with such great control and poise.”
Jones provided most of the offensive spark for the Cats in the opener, lining an RBI double in the top of the first to score senior Beth Fogle for a quick 1-0 lead. Jones was not finished however, as the Suisun, Calif., native singled and scored in the third and then lined her second double of the game in the fifth. Senior Andy Eilertson (2-for-3, 3 RBI) acted as the driving force in the first game, pushing three runs across, two on an RBI single in the third and then another on a single up the middle in the fifth.
“Nikki and Andy were both very aggressive at the plate today,” Kirchner said. “They both had a superb year for us and we were very pleased with the overall production that they gave us this year.”
The shutout victory was the Cats first shutout in SEC play in exactly two years, last blanking the Tennessee Lady Vols, 4-0, in the 2000 season finale.
Game two looked a lot like the first game of the series, which UK won 6-5 in eight innings, as the team’s traded runs throughout the first four innings.
After the Lady’Backs scored one in the top of the first, Jones (2-for-3, RBI) was at it again, legging out a bunt single in the top of the first. She finally found her way all the way around the bases as she stole third and, as UA third baseman Tiffany Woolley failed to cover the bag on the steal, allowing the ball to sail into left, scampered home.
The Cats then took the lead in the third as freshman Meghan Cooper (1-for-2) singled and came home three batters later on Jones’ RBI single to right.
It seemed like UK hurler Morgan Marr (5-12) and the Wildcat defense was in overdrive at that point, shutting down every Razorback threat. However, UA found a way to knot the game in the fifth with a single run and then busted out for five runs, four of them unearned, in the top of the seventh for a commanding five-run lead at that point.
The Wildcats finished the 2002 season with multiple records broken or tied, including team batting average (.281), triples (18), home runs (20), walks (131) and double plays turned (32). Also setting a record was Jones, who finished the year hitting .442, shattering the old mark of .398 set by Tiffany Kruse in 1999.
Game OneArkansas0000000-0 4 1Kentucky102010X-4 8 1WP: Howland (7-10). LP: Schlichtman (19-8). S: none.
Game TwoArkansas1000105-7 9 1Kentucky1010000-2 5 3WP: Talley (13-8). LP: Marr (5-12). S: none.
-UK-
