From ‘just terrible’ to ESPN-worthy describes UK softball’s wild Saturday
Kentucky’s two games in the NCAA Lexington Regional on Saturday were like night and day. That was almost literally true with the first game’s noon start and the second game’s finish at dusk.
But it was also true in a figurative sense with the second game’s 7-2 victory over Northwestern in stark contrast to the first game’s 12-3 defeat to Notre Dame.
Of the second game, which advanced UK to Sunday’s finals against Notre Dame, Coach Rachel Lawson said, “We just played good Kentucky softball.”
And what kind of softball did Kentucky play in the first game that included three errors en route to the team’s most lopsided loss of the season.
“It was Kentucky softball if you had to put every bad thing we’ve done all season and put it all in one single game,” Lawson said. “It was just terrible. We were terrible. Hopefully, nobody watched.”
In the second game, Kentucky outhit Northwestern 10-5 and pulled steadily away by scoring in four of the final five innings.
Defensively, Kentucky’s two errors were overshadowed like a total eclipse by a catch right fielder Tatum Spangler made to end the fourth inning.
With UK ahead 2-1 and two Northwestern runners on base, Mac Dunlap hit a screaming drive to right field. Spangler kept running back, finally arriving on the warning track as she reached high and made the catch a second before hitting the wall and crumpling to the ground but still clutching the ball in her glove.
When asked about the catch, first baseman Mallory Peyton said, “I hope to see it on ESPN tonight somewhere.” Lawson saw the catch saving two runs and shifting momentum in UK’s favor. With the day’s first game not a distant memory, that seemed important.
“On a 10-point scale, it’s about a 15,” Lawson said of the catch’s degree of difficulty.
With the victory, Kentucky advanced to Sunday’s finals. UK will have to beat Notre Dame twice to advance to a Super Regional against the winner of the Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Regional. If Alabama wins that regional, the Tide would also play host to the Super Regional.
Alabama (47-7) won its first two regional games by scores of 9-0 and 6-0.
By defeating Notre Dame twice, Kentucky could play host to a Super Regional should Clemson, Troy or Alabama State win the Tuscaloosa Regional.
Northwestern took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Two bloop hits sandwiched around a line out to center field put runners on second and third. Mac Dunlap’s sacrifice fly to right field scored the run.
Kentucky took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third. Peyton’s double down the left field line scored the two runs.
“It was kind of like a punch to the other team that we needed to give them,” Lawson said. “We had been jabbing a little bit. It was a punch that was kind of, like, oooh, that was a big deal for us.”
Peyton led off the fifth with solo homer that easily cleared the left-field fence.
Kentucky added another run when Renee Abernathy followed Peyton’s homer with a double that hit the fence in right-center. After starting pitcher Grace Baalman’s sacrifice bunt moved her to third, she scored on Rylea Smith’s sacrifice fly to center.
Autumn Humes, a 21-game winner, relieved Baalman after Northwestern’s lead-off hitter in the fifth singled. After advancing to second on a single and third on a fly out, that player scored when Humes fumbled a comebacker long enough to have to settle for the out at first. That reduced UK’s lead to 4-2.
The lead grew to 6-2 in the top of the sixth. Erin Coffel’s sacrifice fly and Renee Abernathy’s double down the right-field line scored two runs.
Kentucky extended the lead to 7-2 in the seventh on Lauren Johnson’s single to left.
Beating Notre Dame twice Sunday would be Kentucky’s third and fourth games in about 36 hours.
Lawson cited Kentucky’s depth of pitching as making this possible. Of course, the team must also play the Kentucky softball it showed in Saturday’s second game.
“I know we have the stamina to get it done,” Lawson said before adding a qualifier, “as long as we play our game.”
Lexington Regional
At UK’s John Cropp Stadium
Friday
Game 1: Kentucky 3, Northwestern 2
Game 2: Notre Dame 3, Miami (Ohio) 2
Saturday
Game 3: Notre Dame 12, Kentucky 3
Game 4: Northwestern 7, Miami (Ohio) 1
Game 5: Kentucky 7, Northwestern 2
Sunday
Game 6: Notre Dame vs. Kentucky, Noon
Game 7: If necessary, 2:30 p.m.
