LEXINGTON, Ky. ? The Kentucky softball team wrapped up the 2007 season today, May 6, with a pair of losses to No. 20 Florida. The Gators won the rain-suspended game by a final of 7-4 and took the series finale 8-0 in five innings. The Wildcats end the season with a record of 20-31 and finished 4-24 in Southeastern Conference play. Florida improved to 44-19 on the year and 17-11 in the league with the sweep.
The Cats and Gators were tied at 4-4 after five innings on Saturday afternoon when heavy rain suspended the second game of the SEC series. The Gators plated a run in the top of the sixth when play resumed on Sunday morning. Brooke Johnson led off with a sharp single to left, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on an RBI single by Kristina Hilbreth.
The Gators added two more insurance runs in the top of the seventh on a two-run single by Francesca Enea to make it a 7-4 UF lead.
Freshman Molly Johnson doubled to right field with one out in the home half of the seventh and went to third on a groundout to first by Audrey Meyer. That was as far as she would advance, however, as UF pitcher Stacey Nelson struck out senior Ashley Fertic to end the inning and the game.
Amber Matousek took the loss for the Wildcats to fall to 6-9 on the year. She gave up seven runs on 10 hits in 6.1 innings of work. UK had nine hits on the day. Natalie Smith was 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Brooke Marnitz and Johnson each also collected two hits. Marnitz was 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI, while Johnson went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI in the loss.
The Gators took an early lead in the series finale with five runs on five hits in the top of the first. Freshman Jennifer Young relieved UK starter Lindsay Brogdon with two outs in the first and gave up a walk and an RBI single before retiring the side with a ground ball off the bat of Kim Waleszonia.
Florida took a 6-0 lead on a leadoff homer in the second. Two runs in the top of the fifth made it an 8-0 advantage for the Gators.
The Wildcats managed just one hit in the final game when Johnson doubled off the wall in center field in the bottom of the second. Her two-base hit gave her a team-best 11 this season and ties a school record as the Wildcats? 66th double of the year. The Cats also had 66 doubles in 2001.
The Cats did not have another baserunner until pinch hitter Gina Florence walked in the fourth.
The game would end after five innings when UF reliever Stacey Stevens retired the side in order to end the game and the Wildcats? season.
Nelson struck out nine Wildcats and earned the victory to improve to 28-12 on the year. She allowed just one hit in 4.0 innings of work.
Five Kentucky Wildcats played their final contest for the Blue and White on Sunday. Seniors Katie Campbell, Ashley Fertic, Gina Florence, Brooke Marnitz and Jenny Sibert. The group made their mark on the Kentucky record books during their tenure. Marnitz leaves as the all-time home run leader with 31, while Campbell is second all-time with 30 career homers and tied for third with 111 career RBI. Fertic finishes her career ranked sixth all-time with 12 longballs and is 10th all-time with 18 doubles. Marnitz is sixth all-time in doubles, while Campbell ranks eighth in that category.
Marnitz batted .399 ? the second-highest average in a single season ? and set new Kentucky single-season records for home runs (21), RBI (61), total bases (137), and slugging percentage (.895). Her 42 runs scored were one shy of tying the single-season record. Campbell posted the second-highest slugging percentage in school history, finishing her senior season with a .640 clip.
The 2007 Wildcats set a new school record with 56 home runs this season, shattering the previous record of 37 set in 2004. They also tied the school mark with 66 doubles and broke the school record for RBI with 237. The previous record was 209 which was set in 2001. UK also set new records for walks (140) and total bases (629) this season.
