Feb. 15, 2014
AUSTIN, Texas – Senior Emily Jolly and junior Griffin Joiner each blasted solo home runs, while freshmen pitchers Meagan Prince and Shannon Smith combined to throw six strong innings with sophomore pitcher Kelsey Nunley throwing a scoreless seventh inning for the save, as No. 7/9 Kentucky took down IPFW, 2-1, on Saturday in the Texas Classic at McCombs Field in Austin, Texas.
The win, which continues UK’s program-best start, gives Kentucky (8-0) the top seed as the tournament moves to seeded play this afternoon. UK will face the loser of the Texas-Louisiana Tech game. If Texas wins, UK will play Louisiana Tech at 7:30 p.m. ET. If LaTech wins, UK will play Texas at 5 p.m. ET. A detailed schedule with coverage links is listed below. Live stats from every game will be available on UKathletics.com, while every game will be aired on the Longhorn Network. Check local listings for channel information.
Jolly and Joiner led the UK offense with the long ball as Jolly hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to tie the game at 1-1, before Joiner belted a solo shot to leftfield that gave UK its first lead of the game. Jolly’s home run was her second of the season, while Joiner’s roundtripper was her fifth of the season, extending her career-best hitting streak to eight games. Jolly ended the game 1-for-2 with Joiner going 1-for-3.
Senior Lauren Cumbess recorded her first multiple-hit game of the season vs. IPFW, going 2-for-3 with two singles, while sophomore Nikki Sagermann was 1-for-3.
Kentucky used three pitchers in the circle, starting the game with Prince, who went three innings allowing one earned run on four hits with two strikeouts. Prince was relieved in the top of the fourth by Smith, who threw three scoreless innings in relief with five strikeouts and only two hits allowed. Smith started the seventh inning in the circle before allowing a leadoff double and a hit-by-pitch, leading to head coach Rachel Lawson bringing in Nunley for the save. The sophomore hurler got a pop out, strikeout and groundout to end the threat and seal the UK win.
Smith was credited with the win, moving her record to 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 10 innings pitched. Prince received a no-decision with Nunley recording her third career save to sit third all-time in saves in school history. IPFW’s Miranda Kramer got the loss, moving her record to 4-1 on the season. UK’s two earned runs against Kramer were the first the impressive pitcher has allowed this season in over 32 innings pitched.
For the latest on UK softball, follow “@UKSoftball” on Twitter or like Kentucky Softball on Facebook.
Shannon Smith on Win
Records:
No. 7/9 Kentucky – 8-0
Louisiana Tech – 2-5
No. 15/16 Texas – 5-5
IPFW – 6-1
Schedule:
Friday, February 14, 2013
Kentucky def. Louisiana Tech 1-0
IPFW def. Louisiana Tech 7-2
Kentucky def. Texas 6-4
IPFW def. Texas 3-2 (8)
Saturday, February 15, 2013
Kentucky def. IPFW 2-1
Texas def. LaTech 7-2
Game One: Texas vs. IPFW – 5 p.m. ET
Game Two: Kentucky vs. LaTech – 7:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, February 16, 2013
Winner Game One vs. Winner Game Two – 10:30 a.m. ET/12:30 a.m. ET
Loser Game One vs. Loser Game Two – 10:30 a.m. ET/12:30 a.m. ET
* Texas will play at 10:30 a.m. ET for Longhorn Network
Online Coverage:
Kentucky vs. Louisiana Tech
– Live Stats | Live video (Longhorn Network)
Kentucky vs. TBA
– TBA | Live video (Longhorn Network)
