The University of Kentucky softball team swept a doubleheader from Bellarmine last night, Oct. 4, as the Cats wrapped up an undefeated fall season. The Cats won the first game by a final of 5-2 before taking game two with an 8-3 decision.
Senior Katie Campbell hit for the cycle, going 4-for-6 with seven RBI. The catcher belted out a single, double, triple and a two-run homer and drew a walk in a stellar night at the plate. Fellow senior Brooke Marntiz hit for the cycle last season against Indiana State.
?For the second time in less than a year we have had someone hit for the cycle,? said third-year head coach Eileen Schmidt. ?Katie Campbell has had a strong and, more importantly, consistent fall.?
Junior transfer Audrey Meyer went 2-for-5 with a double, a base on balls and two RBI, while Marnitz finished 2-for-5 with a walk. Junior Alli Eckman was 1-for-4 with a pair of walks and three RBI. Senior Ashley Fertic was 1-for-3 with two sacrifice flies and an RBI, while sophomore Katie McCarty went 1-for-5 with a double. Ashley Dimkich and Elizabeth Fadde each added a hit.
?Audrey Meyer continues to be quietly successful. She kind of gets lost in the hoopla because we have some players that have hitting long balls. Everyone loves the long ball,? said Schmidt. ?Audrey is a slapper with some power to the gap. She has done a good job of getting on base and moving herself. Brooke Marnitz and Alli Eckman fill the upper middle of the line-up nicely. Our approach at the plate is really starting to come along.?
Junior Lindsay Brogdon threw four innings of shutout softball, giving up three hits and striking out three on the night. Freshman Jennifer Young had another solid night in the circle, allowing one run on four hits while striking out five in 5.0 innings of work. Junior Sam Allen surrendered four runs on five hits and struck out two over five innings.
?Brogdon and Allen both struggled a little and I am not sure why. Their velocity was good and so was their movement. I think the pitch calling, which is my department, left a little to be desired. I need to do a better job of getting on their page quicker,? said Schmidt. ?Both have had great falls so I am not too worried about it. I am so proud of both of them. Sam has really worked hard to get through her back injury and get stronger. Lindsay had a great summer with Coach Tracey-Simmons and it has really translated into a strong physical and mental presence on the mound. Young probably had her best outing of the fall. She spotted her locations better and had better velocity tonight.?
?Bellarmine really came in here with a chip on their shoulder and they played a great two games. The swung the bat well, played solid defense and had steady pitching,? said Schmidt. ?They definitely were not intimidated, nor were they satisfied with any part of their game. It was a weird night for us. We had some shots on offense that did not fall. We made good pitches in the circle that got hit. Defensively, we had some miscues that really hurt us, but we hung tight. We didn?t play bad, but it just seemed like we could not get any separation from them, which is a testament to how well the played. They will do well in their conference if they continue to play that hard.?
The Wildcats open their 2007 slate Feb. 9-11 at the Baylor Tournament in Waco, Texas. UK?s first home game will be a three-game series against Maine, Feb. 17-18, at the UK Softball Complex.
