Feb. 23, 2012
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky softball team will return to the road for the third consecutive weekend with a two-day tournament at Georgia Southern. UK will face four different opponents including the host Eagles in a round-robin tournament.
Kentucky (4-5) is coming off a 3-2 weekend at the Florida Atlantic Kickoff Classic. The Wildcats captured three victories, including a dramatic seventh inning rally over the host Owls in the second week of competition. Juniors Kara Dill and Alice O’Brien led the offensive effort for UK. Dill is currently in the midst of a six-game hitting streak and batted .438 in the five-games a week ago. O’Brien had four hits and scored three runs to aid the Wildcat cause.
Sophomore pitcher Lauren Cumbess tossed UK’s first shutout of the season as she limited Wright State to just two hits while fanning six batters. Seniors Rachel Riley and Chanda Bell combined for a win over LIU Brooklyn.
This week Kentucky will face North Florida (11:30 a.m.) and Jacksonville State (1:30 p.m.) on Friday. UK will conclude action in Georgia with games against Radford (11:30 a.m.) and Georgia Southern (3:30 p.m.) on Saturday. Live stats will be provided for all four of UK’s games while at the Georgia Southern Tournament.
The North Florida Ospreys come into this weekend’s invite with an impressive 5-2 record including wins in four of its last five games. The Osprey’s last game was an 8-2 win over Florida A&M in which North Florida scored five runs in the third inning. The Ospreys are under the direction of fourth-year head coach Marcie Hickey.
After dropping its first five games, Jacksonville State picked up its first win in its last outing with a 15-10 win over Southern Louisiana. The Gamecocks hosted the Jacksonville State Invitational last weekend, however had the final two games canceled due to rain. The Gamecocks are coached by Jana McGinnis who is in her 18th season at the helm.
Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Mickie Dean, Radford enters the 2012 Georgia Southern Invite with a record of 0-1. They have played one contest so far in the 2012 season which was a 9-1 defeat at the hands of the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Highlanders over the past four years have won three straight regular-season conference titles, have posted a 59-10 mark in Big South contests and set a conference record with 21 consecutive league series triumphs.
Georgia Southern will serve as the host team for this weekend’s tournament. The Eagles come in 5-5 on the year, trading wins and losses in every game this season. Their most recent result was a 2-0 defeat of USF in the USF Invitational in Tampa, Fla. The Eagles are led by first-year head coach Annie Smith who gained national prominence from spending nine years at Mississippi State.
Follow along with the UK softball program all season long at UKathletics.com.
