Softball overpowers Wright State

By Justin Chartrand

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Sophomore Nikki Sagermann led the Cats with three runs batted in in a six-run fourth inning, pushing No. 11 UK softball to a victory over Wright State on Tuesday at John Cropp Stadium.

The Cats knocked in six runs in the bottom of the fourth inning as Sagermann, senior Lauren Cumbess, junior Griffin Joiner and senior Emily Gaines all drove in at least one run.

Cumbess got things rolling for UK with an RBI single, giving the Cats an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.

Wright State knotted things up in the top of the third inning after an error by sophomore Ansley Smith.

“I’m never happy with defensive mistakes,” UK head coach Rachel Lawson said. “We just need to get back to practice, hit some ground balls, make them feel good about themselves, move fast and I think we’ll be all right.”

The Raiders had the bases loaded and were threatening to take the lead in the top of the third inning. But sophomore pitcher Kelsey Nunley was able to get out of the jam and keep the game tied at 1-1 going into the bottom of the third inning.

“Kelsey came out, she looked strong, she was throwing the ball hard,” Lawson said. “Kelsey looked great.”

UK quickly regained control after an RBI triple by sophomore Darington Richardson propelled the Cats to a 3-1 lead.

“I really liked that Darington Richardson came out, she really took advantage of her opportunities,” Lawson said.

Sagermann continued her tear at the plate and smashed in her three RBIs.

“Honestly, my whole approach at bat has been just to execute for my team,” Sagermann said.

The Cats held an eight-run lead going into the top of the fifth inning and needed three outs to end the game on a run roll.

Nunley retired three straight batters and picked up her team-leading 15th win of the season.

“In the fourth inning we really came out swinging and scored a bunch of runs and took care of business the way that we talked about in pregame,” Lawson said. “Overall, I was really happy with our performance.”

The Cats will cap off their 15-game home stand on Wednesday, against Mississippi Valley State at John Cropp Stadium.