Feb. 12, 2010
TEMPE, Ariz. – Behind a complete game shutout effort from sophomore pitcher Chanda Bell the Kentucky softball team charted a 2-0 victory over Cal State Fullerton Friday afternoon. Bell went the distance for her second victory of the season and fanned 13 Titan batters in the win.
Kentucky (2-1) rode the right arm of Bell who yielded just two hits and four base runners on the afternoon. UK picked up three hits on the day, but a two-run fifth was all the offense the Wildcats need to earn their second victory in three games.
Senior Destinee Mordecai led off the top of the fifth with a double into the left-center gap. She rounded all the way home when Annie Rowlands laid down a sacrifice bunt that the pitcher then tossed into the dugout. Rowlands was able to advance to second on the poor throw. After a pop-out, Megan Yocke and Natalie Smith each drew a walk to load the bases. Brittany Cervantes took a pitch to the shoulder and allowed Rowlands to round home giving UK a 2-0 lead.
After a pitcher-dominated first inning where Bell fanned all three batters Cal State Fullerton charted the first hit of the game in the bottom of the second inning. Bell forced a third out to end the threat and keep the game scoreless through two frames.
Samantha DeMartine got things started for the Blue and White in the top of the third when she led off with a single that slipped through the left side. After trying to advance the runner a base, Molly Johnson was plucked with a pitch to put two runners on base. Yocke drew a walk to load the bases with two outs, but the inning would end with a groundout to second leaving three runners stranded.
Bell got the first two batters in the bottom of the sixth to sit down on strikes before yielding just the second hit of the game to the Titans. The sophomore ace wasted little time in getting the third out as she forced the Fullerton batter into a groundout to Johnson at shortstop.
Kentucky returns to action at 9 a.m. ET Saturday morning for the fourth game of the weekend. Up first for the Blue and White will be Western Michigan. Kentucky concludes action in Arizona against California at 6 p.m. ET tomorrow afternoon.
