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San Antonio, Texas ? Amber Janneck?s three-run home run capped off a four-run seventh inning for the Kentucky softball team, as they beat Missouri-Kansas City 5-4 in the first game of the Texas-San Antonio Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 14. The win marked the third time this season the Cats have won when trailing after five innings.
UKMC (0-1) scored all four of their runs on two hits and an error in the top of the fifth inning. UK went into the bottom of the seventh down 4-1 when Crystalie Wolfe led the Kentucky charge with a double down the third baseline. Jessica Nance reached on a single and Wolfe cut into the lead when she stole home to leave the score at 4-2 with one out. Ashley Fertic followed with a walk, and Janneck cleared the bases with her second blast of the season, giving UK the one-run victory.
Emily Marks led the Cats at the plate, going 2-for-3 against the Kangaroos. Wolfe (2-0) earned the win in 2.2 shutout innings of work after coming into the game for starter Gretchen Prugh in the fifth. Tisha Abell (0-1) gave up six hits and five earned runs for UKMC while striking out five.
UK won their second game of the day in the nightcap vs. North Texas, 6-3. The Cats exploded in the third inning, batting around and scoring five runs on four hits. Janneck, Meghan Cooper, Amy Kendall and Jessica Nance all registered base hits in the frame, leaving UK with a 6-2 lead through three innings. Cooper went the distance for her third win of the season, giving up only five hits to UNT (2-9) while striking out five.
In the second game of the afternoon, Katie Campbell hit two home runs vs. Texas-San Antonio (3-2), but it wasn?t enough, as the Cats fell for only the second time this season, 6-3. UTSA hit three homers of their own in the contest, led by Jessica Rogers? two-run shot in the first that gave the Roadrunners the early 2-0 lead. After Campbell?s solo shot in the second, UTSA scored one in the third, and back-to-back homers from Christy Brownlee and Jessica Els gave the host school a 6-1 lead through five innings. Campbell hit her second round-tripper in the sixth, also bringing in Emily Marks, to provide the final score. The freshman ended the game 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBIs.
Ursula Mares was impressive on the mound for the Roadrunners, going six innings while giving up only three hits and striking out 12.
The Cats return to action tomorrow morning, when they take on Kansas for the first time in school history at 9 a.m.
