March 13, 2015
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After defeating EKU in its 2015 home opener earlier in the week, the No. 12 University of Kentucky softball team continues its four-game homestand this weekend as it plays host to Ohio, the 2014 Mid-American Conference Tournament Champions, with a three-game series at John Cropp Stadium.
The series is scheduled to begin with a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. ET before a 1 p.m. ET series finale on Sunday. All three games can be seen live on the SEC Network+ with Dick Gabriel and former Purdue head coach, Louisville associate head coach and Michigan assistant coach Carol Bruggeman calling the action. Live stats will also be available on UKathletics.com.
Season tickets for 2015 are available for $35 per seat and are general admission tickets (no reserved seating). Season tickets include all regular-season home games, including four three-game home sets in Southeastern Conference play against No. 2/3 LSU, No. 5/5 Alabama, South Carolina and No. 8/8 Georgia. Single-game tickets are also available and are $5 for adults, $2 for seniors (ages 65 or older) and youth (ages 6-18) while children ages five and under will be admitted free of charge.
Tickets are available by calling the UK Ticket Office at 1-800-928-2287, in person at the Joe Craft Center Ticket Office or online at www.ukathletics.com/tickets. Tickets will be sold – cash only – on gamedays at the ticket booths outside John Cropp Stadium with gates opening one hour prior to first pitch.
New for 2015 is the Family Fun Packs, which are available for Saturday and Sunday SEC games only. Fans can purchase four tickets (two adult, two youth) and four food vouchers (each valid for a hotdog and small soda) for only $30. Family Fun Packs must be purchased in advance by calling the ticket office at (800) 928-2287.
Kentucky (15-5) earned a hard-fought victory over EKU in its home opener on Wednesday, taking down the in-state rival 2-0. Junior shortstop Christian Stokes got the offense started for Kentucky with a solo home run in the fifth inning, tying her for the team lead in roundtrippers with four on the season. Freshman Brooklin Hinz scorched an RBI double in the sixth inning to put UK up 2-0, while junior outfielder Sylver Samuel had two hits and stole her tenth base of the season.
Sophomore Meagan Prince tossed four great innings in the circle to start the game, allowing just two hits with no runs and three strikeouts. She was replaced to start the fifth inning by freshman Erin Rethlake, who tossed the final three innings to pick up the win – the first of her career.
Ohio comes to John Cropp Stadium this weekend with a 5-12 record, including an 0-6 mark in true road games and 5-6 listing in neutral site games. The Bobcats are coming off a 10-7 win over Fairleigh Dickinson last weekend, which broke an eight-game losing skid. Ohio won the 2014 Mid-American Conference Tournament last season, advancing to the NCAA Lexington Regional where it fell to Kentucky and DePaul.
Junior outfielder Sloan Walker leads the offense with a .390 average, adding two doubles, one triple and six stolen bases, while sophomore infielder Casie Hutchinson is hitting .321 with six doubles and 21 RBI. Freshman infielder Mikalya Cooper leads the team with four homers and nine RBI. The Bobcats are hitting .292 as a team with 81 runs scored and 12 homers, adding 19 stolen bases.
Senior infielder Kaylin Clarke has tossed the most innings in the circle at 35.1 innings pitched with a 6.34 ERA and 21 strikeouts, while senior pitcher Lauren McClary is 0-7 with a 7.59 ERA in 27.2 innings pitched. Junior Savannah Jo Dorsey, who had 25 wins last season with a 2.37 ERA, has only pitched 12 innings with a 3.50 ERA and 16 strikeouts.
Kentucky leads the all-time series with Ohio 6-1 with Lawson holding a 1-0 record against the Bobcats while at UK. The last meeting came in last year’s NCAA Lexington Regional with UK claiming a 2-0 victory in the opening round.
For the latest on UK softball, follow @UKSoftball on Twitter and Instagram, or like Kentucky Softball on Facebook.
Records
Kentucky 15-5
Ohio 5-12
Rankings
Kentucky – No. 14 in NFCA/USA Today Top 25; No. 12 in ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25
Schedule/Results
Saturday, March 13
Ohio at Kentucky – 1 p.m. ET – Live Stats – SEC Network+
Ohio at Kentucky – 3:30 p.m. ET – Live Stats – SEC Network+
Sunday, March 14
Ohio at Kentucky – 1 p.m. ET – Live Stats – SEC Network+
