Softball travels to Western Kentucky for mid-week showdown
April 22, 2014
By Justin Chartrand
UK softball is hitting the road for Tuesday’s matchup with in-state rival Western Kentucky.
The Cats are coming off a three-game series against Arkansas. UK posted wins on Friday and Saturday to pick up their fifth conference series win, but also suffered their first shutout of the season in an 8-0 loss on Sunday.
This matchup also will be a homecoming for UK head coach Rachel Lawson, who coached at Western Kentucky for three years from 2005-2007.
Lawson is 5-0 against the Hilltoppers in her seven-year tenure at UK and will look to make her record 6-0 after Tuesday.
One thing the Cats will be looking to improve going into the matchup with the Hilltoppers is the offense.
“I’m not at all happy with the offense,” Lawson said after the Cats performance Sunday against the Razorbacks. “We have to continue to work on our offense. That’s a big goal of ours.”
UK went 3-for-21 from the plate in Sunday’s loss and will be looking to put up much better numbers against a Hilltoppers pitching staff that boasts a 2.78 ERA.
Western Kentucky posted a 3-2 win against No. 4 Tennessee on March 8 and have circled the Cats as a prime target for another upset they would like to pull.
“We’re one of the biggest (games) on their schedule,” Lawson said. “Anytime you have an in-state rivalry it’s a big game for them.”
The Cats will turn to the pitching of sophomore Kelsey Nunley who threw 10 innings against Arkansas, allowing two runs on eight hits with six strikeouts.
UK will also look to ride the hot bat of sophomore infielder Nikki Sagermann, who smashed two home runs in the series against the Razorbacks and now leads the team with 10 home runs on the season.
WKU enters the matchup with a 31-15-1 record and is 11-7 when playing at home.
Senior infielder Olivia Watkins is hitting a team-high .446 at the plate along with 49 stolen bases, while senior infielder Amanda Thomas has knocked in 41 RBIs.
