Oney’s Home Run Sends Kentucky Past Bellarmine, 3-1
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Softball team got back into the win column Tuesday night as it knocked off Bellarmine, 3-1 to open a five- game homestand at John Cropp Stadium thanks to a three-run home run off the bat of Reaghan Oney. It was Oney’s first-career home run as a Kentucky Wildcat as she towered the ball to left in the bottom of the second inning.
Kentucky scored three runs on four hits in the game and defensively, played clean defense, allowing the Knights only three hits for the game and UK committed no errors on the afternoon’s contest.
UK is now 21-12 on the year as Bellarmine falls to 10-20 with Tuesday night’s result. The Wildcats will host the Battle of the Bluegrass on Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. ET against the Louisville Cardinals with the game live on SEC Network. Tickets are available at UKathletics.com/tickets.
Run Recap
After a single from Maddy Clark and Alexa Riddel reaching on an error in the bottom of the second inning, Reaghan Oney stepped to the plate and hammered her first home run as a Kentucky Wildcats with a three-run homer to left field off the netting that protects the scoreboard to hand Kentucky all three runs of the game. UK 3, BU 0
In the top of the fifth inning, Bellarmine scored its only run of the game on an RBI double to center field off the bat of Jacklyn Zuege to score pinch runner Morgan Williams. FINAL – Kentucky 3, Bellarmine 1
Key Player
Abby Hammond was the key player in Tuesday night’s game as she won her second game in the circle for UK this season to move to 2-0 with a 4.1 inning effort, allowing only one run on three hits with four K’s.
Key Moment
With the bases loaded and one out for the Knights in the top of the fifth inning and BU already trimming UK’s lead to 3-1, the Wildcats went to McKenzie Oslanzi in the circle and she induced a 3-2-3 double play turned by Ella Emmert and Karissa Hamilton to get out of the jam unscathed.
Key Stat
- Kentucky left nine runners on base in the game including leaving the bases loaded twice.
Pitching Recap
Abby Hammond went the opening 4.1 innings in the circle for the Wildcats to pick up the win with one run on three hits with three strikeouts on 94 pitches. After one out in the fifth, Kentucky turned to McKenzie Oslanzi who went the final 2.2 innings, allowing no runs or hits with four strikeouts, including the seventh inning, where she struck out the side for all three batters to close the game. Oslanzi threw 34 pitches in the game with 23 as strikes.
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