Kentucky Sets School Record 25 Hits in Wild Win Over #25 Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Kentucky Softball team used a program-record breaking 25 hits to come back from five runs down at one point in a vexing 12-8 ten inning game to pick up a top-25 win over in-state rival Louisville on Wednesday night at Ulmer Stadium.
Kentucky surrendered seven runs in the first two innings of the game as five errors pushed across six unearned runs for the Cardinals to put UofL on the front foot early in the game. The Wildcats slowly chipped away at the Cards lead by crossing two runs in the second, throwing up a three spot in the fifth, a two run frame in the sixth and then a game-tying run in the seventh to square up the game.
Sarah Haendiges pitched the final 3.2 innings of the game for the Wildcats to pick up her 11th win of the season to improve to 11-8 on the year. Haendiges only allowed three hits in her 3.2 innings to close out the win.
Every spot in the Kentucky order had a hit in the game with nine UK players registering two or more hits in the game led by a 4-for-6 game from senior Maddy Clark, who also tied the game in the sixth with a double to the wall in right center field. The 25 hits by the Wildcats tonight broke a four-year record of 22 hits that was set back in 2022 against UC Santa Barbara in a February non-conference game held in Tucson, Arizona.
The Wildcats will now welcome the No. 4 Texas Longhorns to John Cropp Stadium for the regular season finale. Game one is at 6 p.m. ET on Friday night on SEC Network with Krista Blunk and Erin Miller on the call from Lexington. Senior Day will be Saturday at 2 p.m. ET as UK will honor its four seniors, Maddy Clark, Karissa Hamilton, Ella Emmert and Sarah Haendiges prior to the game. Saturday and Sunday’s games will both be on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.
Wednesday night’s game was the first time in 23 games this season that Louisville lost when leading going into the sixth inning.
The Cards fall to 38-10 on the year with Wednesday’s result. Kentucky is now back over .500 on the year with a 26-25 record.
Run Recap
In the bottom of the first inning, Louisville took advantage of three Kentucky errors to plate four runs and jump out to the early advantage. UL 4, UK 0
After Maddy Clark led off the top of the second with a single, she scored on an RBI double into the gap by Abby Hammond to break the seal on UK’s offense. Emory Donaldson then singled in Hammond to hang a crooked number. UL 4, UK 2
In the bottom of the second, two unearned Cardinal runs scored on a dropped ball by the Kentucky infield on top of an RNI single. UL 7, UK 2
In the top of the fifth inning, Allie Blum and Peyton Plotts both singled and scored on an RBI single off the bat of Abby Hammond for her second RBI of the night. UL 7, UK 5
In the sixth inning, Kentucky pulled even as Peyton Plotts hit an RBI double to score Allie Blum and then Maddy Clark hit a game-tying double to the right-center gap. UK 7, UL 7
Louisville scored a two-out run in the bottom of the sixth on a single up the middle with runners on the corners to re-take the lead, 8-7, going to the seventh inning. UL 8, UK 7
Alexa Riddel hit her second home run of the season to straightaway center with one out in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game and send it to extra innings. UK 8, UL 8
After scoreless eighth and ninth innings, Kentucky plastered up a four spot in the tenth with an RBI triple from Peyton Plotts to score Carly Sleeman, an RBI single up the middle by Maddy Clark to score Plotts and a two-run home run by Karissa Hamilton. FINAL/10 innings – Kentucky 12, Louisville 8
Key Player
Maddy Clark was the key player in the game going 4-for-6 at the plate with two critical RBI and soring two runs of her own. The four hits in the game are now a new personal career high for Clark, who is one of three UK seniors.
Key Moment
Alexa Riddel’s game-tying home run in the top of the seventh inning with one out was the key moment. It was Riddel’s second long ball of the season, as her other came against the Cards in the two team’s previous encounter back in March. Riddel went 3-for-5 in the game with the three hits setting her new career best.
Key Stat
- The 25 hits for Kentucky was a new single-game program record.
- This marks the first time in the history of the Battle of the Bluegrass that there have been back-to-back meetings that have gone extra innings.
- Wednesday night was the first time in 22 games that Louisville lost a lead after the sixth inning.
Pitching Recap
Hailey Nutter started the game and Abby Hammond then came in to relieve her with 3.1 solid innings on only one hit. McKenzie Oslanzi went 2.1 innings and allowed one run on four hits before Sarah Haendiges, the pitcher of record, came in for the final 3.1 innings allowing only three hits and no runs with five strikeouts.
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