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Softball Ends Fall Slate with 7-0 Win Over Georgetown College
Kentucky softball team turns attention to spring season after completion of eight-game fall slate
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
Pitchers Kelsey Nunley, Meagan Prince and Lauren Cumbess combined to
throw eight-shutout innings, while senior outfielder Emily Jolly belted
a two-run homer and Cumbess drove in three runs, pacing the University
of Kentucky softball team to a 7-0 victory over Georgetown College on
Sunday at John Cropp Stadium.
Originally scheduled as a
doubleheader to begin at noon ET, the two teams sat through a 50-minute
delay before starting the action at 12:50 p.m. ET. With heavy rain
moving into the Lexington area the two coaching staffs agreed to extend
the first game until the rain canceled play instead of pausing to start
a second game.
Nunley, a sophomore pitcher from Soddy
Daisy, Tenn., set the tone early in the game with three scoreless
innings in the circle, allowing only one hit with five strikeouts.
Nunley was relieved by Prince, a freshman hurler from Martin, Tenn.,
who kept the Tigers scoreless by allowing only three hits over four
innings with two strikeouts. Cumbess, a senior pitcher/infielder from
Normal, Ill., dominated in her one inning of relief with three
strikeouts.
UK’s offense gave the pitching staff all the
run support it would need with single-run innings in the first and
third before a three-run sixth inning and two-run eighth inning.
Sophomore utility player Maisie Steed and Jolly each recorded multi-hit
games with Steed going 2-for-2 with a run scored, while Jolly was
2-for-2 with a two-run homer and two runs scored. Cumbess was 1-for-2
in the game with three RBI, while junior Sarah Frazer had a single and
RBI.
The scoring started in the first inning for Kentucky
when sophomore infielder Christian Stokes walked, advancing to third on
a slap double to leftfield by sophomore outfielder Sylver Samuel. After
sophomore infielder Nikki Sagermann walked to load the bases, junior
catcher Griffin Joiner grounded into a fielder’s choice with Stokes out
at home plate before Cumbess hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield for an
RBI.
The Wildcats posted another run in the third inning
after Jolly started the rally with a single up the middle later
advancing to third on a double by Stokes. Samuel then reached on a
fielder’s choice with Jolly out at the plate before a passed ball
scored Stokes to give UK a 2-0 lead.
The score stayed 2-0
until UK rallied for three runs in the sixth inning. Steed singled up
the middle to start the game before sophomore infielder Ansley Smith
reached on a fielder’s choice with Steed beating the throw to second
base. After sophomore outfielder Darington Richardson bunted for a base
hit to load the bases, Cumbess ripped a single up the middle to score
two runs and give UK a 4-0 lead. Frazer singled up the middle later in
the inning to increase UK’s lead to 5-0.
Jolly pushed UK’s
lead to 7-0 in the eighth and final inning with a two-run homer over
the wall in leftfield after senior infielder Krystal Smith singled to
start the inning.
The game completed a success fall
campaign for the Wildcats, who will now turn their attention to the
spring schedule, which begins in February. The 2014 spring schedule,
which will be release later this year, will be the seventh for head
coach Rachel Lawson – the winningest head coach in program history –
with the Wildcats.
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