March 19, 2010
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky softball team will play its second Southeastern Conference series this week when the squad welcomes Arkansas for a three-game set beginning Saturday. The two teams will play a pair of games on Saturday and a single game on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET both days.
After starting the first five weeks of the season on the road, the Wildcats are set to play at home for the third time this week. Earlier this week the Wildcats knocked off No. 5 Alabama in a 5-4 win. It marked just the second time in school history the Blue and White tallied a win over the Crimson Tide. Kentucky then played Morehead State on Thursday and the Wildcats earned their 17th win of the season with a 3-0 victory over the Eagles. In both outings, sophomore Brittany Cervantes charted a game-winning three-run home run. Sophomore pitcher Chanda Bell claimed her 10th win of the season and struck out 12 in the win over Morehead State.
Arkansas is 17-8 on the season and 2-0 in the SEC. The Razorbacks captured both wins of a doubleheader against South Carolina earlier this week. Arkansas enters the series with the Wildcats with a 2-0 clip in Southeastern Conference action after taking both games of a doubleheader with South Carolina. Both UK and Arkansas have suffered losses to Georgia Tech. The other similar non-conference opponent is Minnesota. UK charted a win over the Gophers, while the Razorbacks suffered a 4-1 defeat.
Arkansas is led at the plate by Jessica Bachkora who is hitting a team-high .413 on the year. Bachkora has also blasted a team-best nine home runs on the season. In the circle, Hope McLemore holds a 9-3 record and a 1.50 ERA. McLemore also leads the squad with 79 strikeouts on the season.
Arkansas leads the series with an overall mark of 25-11. The Razorbacks won the series in Fayetteville a year ago by a 2-1 margin.
After equaling the longest winning streak in school history with an 11-4 victory in game one, the Kentucky softball team dropped an 8-5 decision in game two to earn a split with Arkansas. UK registered its eighth straight win in game one.
Cervantes had a spectacular day at the plate going a combined 5-for-8 which included a pair of home runs. The then first-year player also had a double and combined for five RBI over the two games. Bell earned her 12th win of the season as she matched her own school-record with 15 strikeouts.
The bats were out in full-swing in game one for Kentucky as they strung together 10 hits and a season-high 11 runs as they topped Arkansas for the Razorbacks’ first loss in the SEC.
UK scored a season-best seven runs in the top of the second to pull away from the Razorbacks. In an inning that featured two more Razorback errors and two UK hits the Wildcats capitalized on the Arkansas miscues.
For the most up-to-date information on the UK softball team and all of Kentucky’s 22 athletic teams please visit UKathletics.com.
Promotions for the Arkansas Series
Saturday, March 20th
-Gates open at Noon
-Free UK sunglasses for the first 50 UK fans
-Free UK bubbles for the first 50 kids 8th grade and under
-Entire UK team will sign autographs after the 2nd game along the sidewalk
Sunday, March 21st-Gates open at Noon
-Entire UK team will sign autographs post-game along the sidewalk
