CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ? Under a steady drizzling rain the UK softball team opened the Chattanooga Frost Classic with a 5-1, victory over Wright State. The day?s second game slated against Connecticut was cancelled due to the inclement weather. The game will not be rescheduled.
Kentucky (6-7, 0-0) has now won four consecutive games, the longest streak of the season. Sophomore Natalie Smith led the offensive spurt with a perfect 3-for-3 game at the plate that included a solo home run over the right field wall. Freshman Sam DeMartine belted her first career round tripper and went 1-for-3 for the game to aide the cause. Smith?s home run is the first of the season.
?I?m really proud of the offense for a great job of hitting the ball where it was pitched,? said Head Coach Rachel Lawson. ?Obviously, Natalie (Smith) came through big and (Sam) DeMartine continued to hit the ball with authority.?
UK opened the scoring in the first inning of action. Freshman Megan Yocke split the defense and hit a base hit into right field. Smith followed suit with a double to the center field wall as Yocke rounded the bases for the first score of the game.
The Wildcats put two more tallies on the board in the bottom of the fifth to stretch the lead to three runs. Freshman Annie Rowlands walked to open the inning and then reached second on a fielder?s choice as she beat out the throw to second. Senior Audrey Meyer?s ground out pushed the runners into prime scoring position. Meagan Aull put a ball in play and Rowlands came around to score. Yocke reached on the third fielder?s choice of the inning scooting Aull to third. The Wildcats were aggressive in the base paths as Aull would eventually score on a double-steal by the Blue and White.
Pitcher Megan Jolly threw five scoreless innings before Wright State put a run on the board in the top of the sixth. The run was unearned as the base runner reached on a UK fielding error.
Kentucky responded with two runs in the top of the sixth off of Smith?s and DeMartine?s solo home runs making the final 5-1, margin. Jolly sat three consecutive batters down in the bottom of the seventh to secure the victory and her second win of the season.
?(Megan) Jolly was outstanding for us on the mound,? Lawson said. ?She executed all of her pitches and that combined with a great defensive performance; put us in a great position to beat a very good hitting team.?
UK returns to action tomorrow with a two-game set in the Chattanooga Frost Classic. The Wildcats will play Marshall at 9:45 a.m. and then Eastern Illinois at noon. Complete coverage of this weekend?s action can be found at www.ukathletics.com.
