The University of Kentucky softball team fell to 0-5 today, Feb. 6, at the Diamond Fun & Sun Classic in Miami, Fla. in a marathon to Illinois State (3-2). The Cats lost 5-4 in the final game of the three-day tournament in 11 innings.
The Wildcats got on the board early as Alli Eckman singled to right field, followed by Meghan Cooper who delivered UK?s first extra-base hit of the year in the form of a run-scoring triple off the right field wall to give the Cats 1-0 lead.
UK added to its lead in the second. Ashley Fertic led off the inning with a single up the middle, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch. She scored on a sacrifice fly to right by catcher Callie Kovacs.
Freshman pitcher Samantha Allen had a solid outing on the mound, stranding four runners through the first four innings and retiring the side in order in the third.
The Redbirds tied the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run double by Dominique Borba. Allen got out of trouble again, stranding runners at second and third, when she got Guilbault to pop out to the third baseman.
The Kentucky defense erased an ISU threat in the bottom of the seventh with a Cooper to Ashley Dimkich double play, followed by a running catch in left by Fertic to force extra innings. The Redbirds threatened in the eighth, but a runner?s interference call ended the inning and sent the game to the ninth.
UK claimed a 3-2 lead in the top of the tenth. Pinch runner Fertic went to third on a single by Kovacs and beat the throw from the third baseman to score the go-ahead run on Ashley Dimkich?s fielder?s choice.
The lead would be short-lived as ISU knotted things again in the home half of the inning with an RBI single by Kate Stake. But the Cats answered in the eleventh as Amber Janneck singled to left field scored Eckman from second to put UK on top by a score of 4-3.
ISU tied it yet again in the bottom of the eleventh on a double down the right field line by Bierwirth. The Redbirds then loaded the bases and scored the game-winning run when Ewen drew a bases-loaded walk.
Allen (0-2) went the distance for the Cat, giving up just three earned runs on eight hits in 11 innings of work. Eckman went 2-for-5 with two runs scored. Fertic scored twice, while Cooper, Janneck, Kovacs and Dimkich each drove in a run in the loss.
Cooper was the lone Wildcat named to the All-Tournament team after batting .462 (6-for-13) with a triple and three RBIs. She also had a stolen base and drew two walks. The junior started two games on the mound for UK, as well.
The Cats return to action next weekend, Feb. 11-13, at the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.
