Coffel and Lorsung’s Homers Power No. 14 Kentucky Past SLU
LOUIS, Mo. – Erin Coffel hit two home runs and Grace Lorsung hit a key long ball in the top of the sixth inning as No. 14 Kentucky beat St. Louis 6-3 on Tuesday afternoon in the Mound City.
The Wildcats with Tuesday’s win complete a perfect Midwest swing on its road trip, going 4-0 on the adventure to improve to 17-5-1 on the season. St. Louis falls to 6-16.
Sloan Gayan started the game for Kentucky throwing three innings without allowing a run and striking out two runners. Alexia Lacatena threw two innings collecting four strikeouts and Stephanie Schoonover threw the final two innings to pick up the save with only one hit surrendered and five strikeouts.
Kentucky will now return home to Lexington to play Liberty on Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET on the SEC Network+. Tickets are available at UKathletics.com.
Key Play
Grace Lorsung’s two-run, two-out go-ahead home run in the top of the sixth inning was the key play of the game as Lorsung drove her fourth long ball of the season out to LF to score Lauryn Borzilleri in the inning and gave UK a 4-3 lead after trailing, 3-2.
Key Player
Erin Coffel was the key player in the game, hitting her 10th and 11th home runs of the season to give UK a 2-0 lead and a 6-3 lead in the first and seventh innings.
Key Stat
3. Kentucky hit three home runs on the afternoon, tying the most for a single game this season, with its opening game vs. St. John’s in the NFCA Lead-Off Classic.
Run Recap
Following a lead-off single by Kayla Kowalik, Erin Coffel went deep to left center for her team-leading 10th home run of the season to give Kentucky the 2-0 lead in the top of the first. UK 2, SLU 0
In the bottom of the fifth, the Billikens took the lead thanks to a three-run inning. Gabbie Kowalik singled up the middle to score a run from second base with nobody out and then a two-out, two-run home run from Abby Mallo gave the lead to SLU for the first time in the game. SLU 3, UK 2
With two outs and no outs in the top of the sixth inning, Lauryn Borzilleri put together one of the most consequential AB’s of her young career with a seven-pitch walk to give UK a baserunner before Grace Lorsung drove the first pitch over the wall in LF to give Kentucky the lead back. UK 4, SLU 3
In the top of the seventh, Erin Coffel’s 11th home run of the season followed a lead-off bunt single by Vanessa Nesby and that gave UK a three-run cushion, its largest lead of the game. UK 6, SLU 3
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