One problem plagued Kentucky softball all year. And it ended the Wildcats’ season Saturday.
The University of Kentucky softball team’s season ended on a walk-off home run Saturday night.
The outcome seemed fitting for a Wildcats squad that allowed more runs and home runs than any team in its league in 2023.
Chloe Parks clubbed a two-run homer over the left-field wall in the bottom of the fifth inning to give Miami (Ohio) a 9-0 run-rule victory over Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament regional at Evanston, Ill. The RedHawks victory avenged a 9-1 loss to the Wildcats in the tournament’s opening game on Friday and eliminated UK from the four-team double-elimination regional.
Miami (39-19) advanced to face Northwestern (40-11) on Sunday but would have to beat the hosts twice to move on to next week’s 16-team super-regional round.
Earlier Saturday, the Wildcats blew a 6-2 lead and lost to Northwestern 10-8.
Kentucky gave up three home runs in Saturday’s nightcap after allowing four on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats entered as the No. 2 seed in the regional behind Northwestern, with Miami No. 3 and Eastern Illinois No. 4.
Kentucky (31-22-1) entered NCAA play having allowed 226 runs and 60 home runs, by far the most in the Southeastern Conference in both categories.
The Wildcats were playing in the NCAA Tournament for the 14th consecutive season but were eliminated in the regional round for the second year in a row.
After its deflating loss to Northwestern on Saturday afternoon, Kentucky had little left in the tank for its rematch with Miami on Saturday night.
The RedHawks broke the game open with five runs in the second inning and were never seriously challenged thereafter.
Having to play twice Saturday, Kentucky Coach Rachel Lawson did all she could to stretch her pitching staff with the potential looming of two additional games Sunday, but none of the levers Lawson pulled kept the ball in the ballpark.
Kennedy Sullivan (4-6) started against Miami and took the loss, allowing six runs on five hits in 1 2/3 innings. Alexia Lacatena allowed one run and one hit in 1 2/3 innings, and Stephanie Schoonover gave up two runs and one hit in one inning, which included the walk-off home run.
Miami starter Brianna Pratt (32-10) blanked Kentucky on three hits.
In Saturday’s opening game, Kansas Robinson hit two homers and Jordyn Rudd and Maeve Nelson each went deep once as Northwestern rallied from a 6-2 deficit. NU busted things open with an eight-run third inning.
UK starter Lacatena surrendered homers to Rudd in the first inning and Robinson in the third but departed with a 6-3 lead. Sloan Gayan (2-4) replaced Lacatena with two runners on and nobody out in the third inning and gave up a two-run homer to Nelson before departing after only a third of an inning. Sullivan tried to put out the fire but could not escape the inning before Robinson smacked a three-run homer.
When the dust settled, Northwestern led 10-6, an advantage protected by ace pitcher Danielle Williams (21-1) the rest of the way.
Kayla Kowalik, Erin Coffel and Sullivan hit homers for Kentucky in Saturday’s opener, in which UK totaled eight hits to Northwestern’s 13.
Kentucky finished 10-14 and in ninth place in the SEC this season and was eliminated by Florida in its first game of the league tournament. The Wildcats were one of 12 SEC teams to qualify for the 64-team NCAA Tournament field.
Northern Kentucky eliminated
Northern Kentucky University, making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, was defeated 9-1 by Louisville on Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn., ending its season with a 23-32 record.
The Norse, who won the Horizon League Tournament as the No. 3 seed to secure an automatic berth in the Knoxville Regional, fell to top-seed Tennessee 12-0 on Friday.
Louisville lost to Indiana 4-3 on Friday before staying alive in the double-elimination regional by beating NKU on Saturday. The Cardinals were set for a rematch with the Hoosiers on Sunday with the winner facing Tennessee later in the day.
This story was originally published May 20, 2023 at 9:57 PM.