By Bill Nigut

Freshman pitcher Rachel Riley did it all for the UK softball team on Wednesday night.

Not only did she hit a home run in the second inning, but she also carried a no-hitter through five innings against Eastern Kentucky University.

UK picked up a 7-0 win, improving its record to 26-18 and 9-3 in the Southeastern Conference. The victory was the Cats’ first since splitting a doubleheader with Tennessee on April 8.

The Cats started scoring immediately and created a 7-0 lead and an opportunity to end the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. With the bases loaded, UK failed to plate the eighth run it needed to call the mercy rule into effect.

After losing the no-hitter, Riley went on to pitch her first career shutout, allowing only two hits. She also threw a career-high six strikeouts. Riley said she was slightly disappointed to not throw a no-hitter, but was happy to get the win for her team.

“I didn’t realize (I had the no-hitter) until everyone told me I lost it,” Riley said. “It always stinks when you’re that close and don’t get it. But it’s OK, we got the win and we needed that more than anything.”

Freshman Brittany Cervantes, who contributed to the Cats’ victory with her seventh home run of the season, a three-run shot in the fourth, praised the pitcher’s performance. Cervantes said the game left the team confident about the rest of the season.

“The fact that we had such a big break and haven’t played anything, it was good to win this game,” Cervantes said. “Rachel pitched a great game. To get all of these runs for her was great because she’s been pitching so well in the past and we haven’t been able to support her.”

UK head coach Rachel Lawson was not caught off-guard by the freshman’s performance. Rather, she was expecting it.

“I’m a big fan of Rachel Riley,” Lawson said. “She has the heart of a lion, so any time she’s either on the mound or in the batter’s box, I feel like she can accomplish just about anything she sets her mind to. So I’m not surprised that it’s happening. I’m happy for her and I’ve been waiting for it to happen all season.”

The Cats also found success in the field, allowing no runs and tallying no errors. With two weeks remaining in the season, they are currently ranked seventh in the SEC and can finish as high as fourth. The top eight teams in the conference make the SEC Tournament.

“We need to continue to do a good job offensively,” Lawson said. “We also need to keep pitching the way we are. If we can do that, we look good for the SEC Tournament.”

Riley is the latest face among a sea of emerging stars for the Cats. Her freshman class hopes to use momentum from this game to propel UK to its first-ever NCAA Tournament.

“This one was great momentum,” Riley said. “I think if we just come out and play our game from now on we’ll be all right.”