The top-ranked player in the 2013 high school class, Jabari Parker, is featured on this week’s Sports Illustrated cover, which hit newsstands on Wednesday.

A picture of the 6’9″ junior on the shore of Lake Michigan, the cover reads:

“The Best High School Basketball Player Since Lebron James is…

Jabari Parker

But There’s Something More Important to Him Than NBA Stardom:

His Faith”

Rivals.com includes several teams on Parker’s list, including UK, Duke, Kansas, Michigan St. and North Carolina.

Here is the cover and a short exerpt from the Chicago Tribune.

The UK baseball team lost 7-3 to Murray State Tuesday night in their last non-conference game of the season.

After Murray got out to a 2-0 lead, a home run by junior Luke Maile, his team-leading twelfth of the year, tied the game after four innings.

Still tied in the eighth, the Racers got a bases loaded double to break the game open. UK freshman A.J. Reed was tabbed with the loss.

However, the Cats (41-12, 18-9 SEC) focus truly lies on this weekend’s final SEC series with Mississippi St. Entering the weekend tied for first place in the conference standings with LSU and USC, UK needs to take at least two of three to maintain the tiebreaker they hold over both other first place teams.

Game one in Starkville, Miss. is on Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The band is currently touring in support of its 2012 release Love Stories & Other Musings.

Doors open at 8 p.m., with the show schedule to start at 9 p.m. No opening act has been announced. The show is ages 18 and over, with tickets $25 at the door (cash only).

Related link: Buster’s Billiards and Backroom

Candlebox’s self-titled debut album in 1993 sold over 4 million copies and included hits such as You, Far Behind, Change and Cover Me.

The band took a six-year hiatus partially due to a contract dispute with its record label.

Love Stories & Other Musings is the second studio release by the band since reforming.

From there, the Cats travel to Starkville, Miss., to face the Mississippi State Bulldogs (31-20, 13-14 SEC) in a Thursday – Saturday three-game series.

Following the series in Starkville, the Cats will immediately travel to Hoover, Ala., for the SEC Tournament.

UK Baseball schedule

Regular Season SEC title and NCAA seeding hang in the balance
The Cats go into the weekend series against Mississippi State with a half-game lead over South Carolina in the East and a full-game lead over West-leading LSU. Those two teams end the season playing each other at South Carolina – also in a Thursday – Saturday series.

Related link: Sec standings

In addition to a second regular-season SEC title in program history, the Cats are also playing for the right to host NCAA regionals and super-regionals. The latest projections by ESPN have the Cats hosting 1st and 2nd round games, but competing on the road beyond that. The Cats need more wins to impress the selection committee and have an more friendly road to the College World Series.

Related link: ESPN baseball bracketology

The Cats are ranking No. 2 the Collegiate Baseball poll, No. 4 by Baseball America and No. 5 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll.

Mahar wins award
UK reliever Sam Mahar won the SEC Freshman of the Week award for his two-save effort last week .

He appeared in three games last week, tossing four shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out three.

Mahar has a 2.75 ERA, with a 3-3 record in the 20 games he has appeared.

The 29-28 Cats will take on the Michigan Wolverines in a region that will be covered by ESPNU on Friday.

UK lost to Michigan early in the season, 3-0, during the Florida Atlantic Tournament.

Julius Mays, a junior transfer from Wright State, committed to UK Sunday night, Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com reported.

The tweet from Goodman:

“Julius Mays told CBSSports that he has committed to Kentucky. Has one year left and can play ASAP.”

- @GoodmanCBS

Mays played two years at N.C. State and was reportedly close to UK guard Ryan Harrow, also a former Wolfpack guard, before switching to Wright State before last season.

A 6’2″ combo guard, Mays averaged 14.1 points per game last season, while shooting 42.4 percent from the 3-point line. He had several noteworthy games last season, including 33 points against UIC and 21 points at Florida.

He will help Harrow and freshman Archie Goodwin fill a relatively thin backcourt for the Cats next season.

VHS or Beta took to the stage like rock stars at Busters Saturday night promoting their album Diamonds or Dub.

Playing a tremendous upbeat set, it is not hard to dance when VHS or Beta plays. An excellent live show with past and previous singles made the small crowd that showed up for the show start moving.

“We are going to play like there are 12,000 people in here tonight,” lead singer Craig Pfunder said.

The band did just that. Pfunder’s spunky attitude (and amazing hair) combined with the band’s high energy created music that simply made everybody want to dance.

Pfunder kept his eyes closed as he passionately sang into the microphone. When he had a chance to step away from the mic his attention quickly moved to his electric guitar. Paying zero attention to the guitar cord, it weaved between Pfunder’s feet as he danced the night away.

Radiating energy, drummer Mark Guildry looked like he was promoting a Budweiser commercial as he turned up the sweating beer bottle between songs to help cool himself down. Guildry used his t-shirt to wipe the beads of sweat off of his forehead and defog his glasses.

The band was once afraid their new electronic sound would negatively affect their live performances. This did not seem to be the case during Saturday’s show. The band stayed true to their original instrumentals: guitar, drums and keyboard playing over techno, making a mix between disco, rock and house music.

Pfunder took advantage of the small crowd creating a personal environment. He talked with fans during the show and teased Lexingtonians with his Louisville pride.

Despite the dwindling audience VHS or Beta flawlessly executed an amazing show. If this band decides to return to Lexington it is worth seeing in the future.

UK swept Alabama in a double-header Saturday afternoon at Cliff Hagan Stadium to take a half-game lead in the SEC East.

Game One

The Cats took an early lead, before allowing five runs in the sixth and seventh innings. “We gave them four extra outs,” UK head coach Gary Henderson said. “We were fortunate that they didn’t do more damage.”

The Cats bounced back in the bottom of the seventh. Matt Reida led-off the inning with a single, and the team followed his lead providing four more crucial hits that brought in five runs – retaking the lead from Alabama.

Alabama added one in the eighth, but Alabama pitcher Josh Rosencrans walked three straight batters allowing the go-ahead run to score, and giving the Cats the 7-6 win.

“We have a tough group of guys, and I’m very proud to be their coach,” Henderson said when asked about the comeback win.

Game Two

The Cats dominated from start to finish. UK starter Corey Littrell pitched six and two-thirds innings allowing one run and striking out seven Alabama batters.

During the sixth inning the Cats hitting came to life, led by Senior Michael Williams. Williams led-off the sixth with a huge blast over the left field wall that seemed to rejuvenate the rain soaked crowd. The Cats pounded a couple more hits, and an attempted squeeze bunt by senior Thomas McCarthy brought in Adams – giving the Cats a 4-1 lead.

The Cats continued their successful offense in the seventh pounding out 3 more runs including a two-run home run by Junior Brian Adams. Adams was making only his fourth start of his career but really made the most of it.

“ My swing feels the best it’s ever felt,” Adams said following the doubleheader. “ I knew off the bat it felt pretty good, but when I heard it hit off the top of the scoreboard I was pretty pumped.”

Freshman Austin Cousino finished off the scoring, with a home run in the eighth, providing the final score of 8-1.

Cats lead NCAA in wins
The Cats sweep of the Tide provided wins number 40 and 41 on the year, leading the NCAA.

The Cats now head into next week a half-game ahead of South Carolina for first in the SEC East.

“We are in a great position right now, we just have keep playing.” Henderson said .

The Cats will enter next weekend’s series against Mississippi State no worse than tied for first in the SEC East and a chance to win their first conference title since 2006.

UK Men’s team defeated Indiana Saturday at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex, advancing to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the third year in a row.

UK scored the doubles point by winning two close matches. The team went on to win three singles matches, beating the Hoosiers 4-0.

“I thought we came out and played our best doubles point of the year,” said UK head coach Dennis Emery. “I thought that really set the tone of the match.”

After losing the first set, UK’s sophomore Tom Jomby made a comeback to defeat IU’s Stephen Vogel, scoring 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Sophomore Grant Roberts defeated Dimitrije Tasic 6-4, 6-3, claiming another win for the Cats.

“I thought we played with a lot more effort, I thought we were playing a better team and that made it tougher,” Emery said, comparing this match with Friday’s 4-0 win against Radford.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better way to go out,” said Senior Eric Quigley (No.3) of his last home match at UK. “I’m really happy and proud of the whole team.”

Quigley, the SEC Player of the Year, was the first r to finish a singles match. He beat Isade Juneau 6-1, 6-0, in a quick 45 minute match. This put his season record at 24-2 and his career record at 167-45.

“He’s probably one of the most productive players we’ve ever had,” Emery said of Quigley. “There’s no way you can describe what he’s done for our program. You know, we had a good culture, but now we have a championship culture.”

The remainder of the NCAA tournament matches will be played in Athens, Ga. UK’s next match is scheduled for May 18.

“It means a lot- Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA is not easy, and to do it three years in a row is pretty impressive,” Quigley said.

Towards the end of a season in which young talent has come up big, it was the veterans that helped UK baseball defeat  Alabama 4-2 Friday night at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

The Cats were previously 3-5 in series openers in the SEC this season. The fact that they are still near the top of the conference and the top of the NCAA speaks to their ability to climb out of holes to win series, but there was no such hole dug on Friday, as they were able to hold onto an early 4-2 lead behind the arms of junior starting pitcher Taylor Rogers and senior reliever Alex Phillips.

Rogers struggled initially, allowing two hits in the first inning and two runs in the third. He settled down, allowing seven hits and two runs overall, with one walk and four strikeouts over 96 pitches in seven innings pitched. He picked up the win to advance to 6-3 for the season.

Phillips came on in the eighth inning to pick up his sixth save on the season. It was  efficient performance from the  closer, as he threw only six pitches to end the eighth inning, and struck out three straight batters in the ninth to end the game.

Both pitchers had the benefit of pitching to a struggling Alabama lineup, which featured five players batting under .200 for the season.

On offense, the Cats missed an opportunity to score in the first, but succeeded in the second and third innings, scoring two runs in each. Senior third baseman Thomas McCarthy came up big in the bottom of the second. After catcher Luke Maile and designated hitter Michael Williams advanced to scoring position via a walk, an error, and a wild pitch, McCarthy hit a huge two-out double to bring them both in.  The double came after a lengthy at-bat in which eight pitches were thrown.

This was a big game for McCarthy, as his second inning double ended an 0-for-17 batting slump that coincided with a nasty hiccup in the Wildcats’ season, during which SEC series were lost to Vanderbilt and Florida. “Seeing that double drop definitely helps the psyche a little bit,” said McCarthy of his batting performance on Friday. He went on to credit the win to a solid team effort and “getting hot at the right time” with the series-finale win against Florida series and Wednesday’s extra-innings victory at Indiana.

After Maile and second-baseman J.T. Riddle recorded RBI’s in the bottom of the third inning, Alabama starting pitcher Spencer Turnbull was pulled from the mound and replaced by Justin Kamplain. Closer Jay Shaw finished the game for the Tide.

Prior to Friday’s game, the Cats were 15-9 in the SEC, trailing South Carolina and LSU, who shared the best records in the conference at 16-8. All three teams recorded wins to start the weekend and the race remains tight, as it likely will be for the remainder of the season. Wildcats Head Coach Gary Henderson spoke about moving forward into the last games of the season, stating that winning three in a row against Florida, Indiana, and now Alabama allowed the team to “go into [the coming games] with confidence.”

Saturday, May 12, is Senior Day for the Wildcats, with the second game of the Alabama series starting at 2:00 ET. Due to expected rains on Sunday, the third game of the series will also be on Saturday as part of a double-header.

The 29-28 Cats trailed the Bulldogs by five runs when the top of the seventh inning got underway.

Facing a new pitcher, Georgia sophomore Morgan Montemayor, the Cats pounced.

Senior Rachel Riley opened the inning with a single to the left side. Freshman Griffin Joiner mimicked her elder teammate, but each runner advanced on a passed ball.

A double to the gap in right-center by junior Alice O’Brien drove in the two runners to cut UK’s deficit to three runs.

Following the inning’s first out on a groundout, sophomore Ginny Carroll reached on a fielding error by Georgia’s third baseman.

A couple of teases by UK’s batters along the left field foul line kept the opportunities coming. After coming up short on more than one occasion, Bulldogs senior Brittany Hubbard made a diving grab in left field to put Georgia one out away from advancing.

Following the inning’s second passed ball, sophomore Emily Jolly hit a single to the third baseman that scored O’Brien from third to make the score 6-4.

Once the top of the order returned, Georgia reverted back to the game’s starting pitcher senior Erin Arevalo to closeout the game.

Arevalo elected to not pitch around senior Brittany Cervantes, who scored UK’s lone run until the seventh on a solo home run.

Cervantes reached on another single to third, but junior Kara Dill was called out moments later on her chopper to the second baseman.

Sunday’s selection show will determine the fate of UK’s current group of seniors. While they are only a game over .500, the Cats have the No. 32 RPI in the nation.

ESPNU will cover the selection show Sunday at 10 p.m. EST.

Eric Quigley leads the Cats to a 4-0 victory over Radford in the NCAA 1st round

By Holly Brucken

The UK men’s team (27-5) breezed over Radford (20-6) in the first round of the NCAA Championship at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex. The victory advances the Cats to the second round where they will face Indiana.

UK secured the doubles point, followed by the first three singles matches, breezing through a 4-0 victory.

“We won three matches fairly comfortably,” said UK head coach Dennis Emery of the match, but asserted that the team needs to play better tomorrow.

Fans enter the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex to watch NCAA first round action

UK junior Anthony Rossi (No. 22) won his match 6-2, 6-0 over Stijn Ogrizek, and sophomore Alejandro Gomez defeated Radford’s Joe Mills 6-2, 6-1.

Senior SEC Player of the Year Eric Quigley (No. 3) defeated Nick Sayer 6-2, 6-1.

“We need to pick up the intensity against Indiana,”  Quigley said, explaining that the team must change their body language, yell to teammates  and be more vocal. “I think we’ll do that pretty well tomorrow.”

“We’ve been the team that we wanted to be all year,” said Emery. “We want to get back to where we have that momentum and we feel like we’re out working the other teams and out competing the other teams.”

UK's Alex Musialek defeated Radford's Igor Ogrizek in the NCAA first round

The Cats will face Indiana on Saturday, a team they previously beat 7-0. That match was more of a challenge than the score shows, however, and the Cats need to go into the match Saturday with improved intensity.

“I don’t think the score reflects how close it was,” said Quigley of this last game.

“We are going to have to do more, one to beat Indiana and we’re going to have to do more if we’re going to achieve our goals,” Emery said.

The second round will be played 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center for a spot in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

“It’s gonna be a battle tomorrow,” Quigley said.

Bracketology - NCAA Tennis style

VHS or Beta is bringing its evolving disco-rock sound to the concert stage at Buster’s Billiards & Backroom Saturday night.

VHS or Beta took seven tracks from the Diamonds and Death album and gave them a techno spin with the help of engineer/remixer Mark Verbos and DJ/producer Jacques Renault, to create its new album, Diamonds and Dub.

“We chopped them up[Diamonds and Death tracks] and added some of our touches,” Verbos said in a message on the bands website. “We created dubs out of them.”

The two fundamental members of the band, Mark Palgy and Craig Pfunder, are Louisville natives who are continually growing their music careers in Brooklyn, N.Y. The fast pass of the city influenced their music toward dance floor tracks and techno beats. Verbos and Renault carefully conserved VHS or Beta’s original sound to create the dub version.

“It came out very naturally and easily.” Renoault said.

VHS or Beta have worked with other bands including My Morning Jacket, Tegan & Sarah and Hussle Club.

The doors will open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9. Buy the tickets in advance for $12 or at the door for $15. This is an 18+ event. Buster’s Billiards & Backroom is located at 899 Manchester St.

One fan will be the chosen winner of two VIP guest passes for the show when joining the Facebook event page.

Related Link:  VHS or Beta – Breaking Bones

Country music stars Montgomery Gentry and hometown sweetheart Laura Bell Bundy performed at a benefit concert for tornado victims at Buster’s Billiards and Backroom Wednesday evening.

“98.1 The Bull arranged this concert with Montgomery Gentry, after Eddie Montgomery said he wanted to do something to give back to the tornado victims,” said Buster’s owner Clark Case. “98.1 The Bull and Montgomery chose Buster’s for the concert because they felt they could have a packed, sold-out crowd.”

Buster’s was a great place for the concert, with wide open space and great sound quality. Some of the friendly and excited fans said they had been looking forward to the concert all day.

Selena Linndon, a school teacher from Stanton, Ky., was there celebrating her 40th birthday. She had family members impacted by the tornadoes.

“I feel like it’s a great way to give back to the communities that were affected and the money is going to a great cause,” Linndon said. “Plus I love Montgomery Gentry.”

A lot of people that were there were happy and excited to see hometown super-stars giving back to their community.

“We were devastated to hear of the destruction that went through Kentucky,” said Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry in a release prior to the concert. “We are honored to help out and look forward to a big hometown party and raising much needed funds for these communities that need it.”

“We’ve been trying to organize something for a while so we’re real glad this worked out with The Bull. This is our home and we want to do everything we can to help,” Montgomery said.

During the concert Bundy gave a special shout out to UK basketball player Anthony Davis and men’s basketball head coach John Calipari.

“During the Sweet 16 and the Final Four I was rocking my Anthony Davis unibrow,” Bundy said to the crowd. She also dedicated the song Love the Way You Make Me Feel to Calipari and the team.

The sold-out crowd clearly had a blast at the concert, singing along with the artists and dancing the entire show.

Montgomery Gentry sang all of their radio hits that made them famous including My Town, What Do Ya Think about That, Something To Be Proud Of, Roll With Me and their newest hit Where I Come From.

The UK baseball team recovered from an early deficit to beat Indiana University in 12 innings on Wednesday.

Tied at four entering the twelfth inning, the Cats scored a run on an RBI single by junior Cameron Flynn. But, the Hoosiers answered, scoring on a single to match UK and extend the game.

After a leadoff single in the twelfth, freshman Austin Cousino scored on a balk with two outs to plate the eventual winning run, as the No. 7 Cats won 5-4.

Freshman A.J. Reed pithed 5.1 innings of relief, only giving up one run on four hits with six strikeouts.

The Cats (38-11, 15-9 SEC) welcome Alabama to town this weekend for three game series. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Santos, who played under UK head coach Matthew Mitchell during his tenure as assistant coach at the University of Florida, spent two seasons as assistant coach at the Illinois State Redbirds.

Santos fills the void created when assistant Kyra Elzy left to join the staff at Tennessee.

“This is an exciting time for UK Hoops,” Mitchell said in the release. “Danielle is a versatile coach with many talents but it’s her high character that stands out and makes her immediately valuable to our program. Communication and strong relationships are absolutely essential in our program. Danielle is an excellent communicator and a strong builder of relationships. She has the right kind of energy we need on our staff and I look for her to make a positive impact on the future of UK Hoops. We are happy to welcome her as the newest member of the UK Hoops family.”

Santos was a four-year letter winner at Florida, and began her coaching career in 2006 as an assistant coach at Hofstra University.

“I am extremely proud and honored to be a part of this Wildcat family and the Big Blue Nation,” Santos said in the release. “I have great respect for Coach Mitchell and his staff and how they’ve been able to build Kentucky to one the top programs in the country. The SEC is a special place to me and returning to the league to reunite with Coach Mitchell is an incredible opportunity and I can’t wait to get started.”

Drawing of new UK softball complex

UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart updated the athletics committee of the Board of Trustees on the status on the new softball complex Tuesday morning.

Barnhart said ground should be broken on the new facility by July 1, and that it should be ready for action by next February.

Barnhart said that the Cats will use the new complex to serve as hosts for the 2013 SEC Tournament next May.

“This gives the team a really special place to call home,” Barnhart said.

The 6 percent increase will take effect for all resident and non-resident students except those in the College of Medicine and the College of Pharmacy. Those two programs will see a 3 percent hike.

The increase will cost full-time undergraduate residents an average of $741 a year and non-residents an average $1,542 a year.

No members of the board voted against the measure, although trustees John Wilson and Irina Voro abstained.

“I am afraid that we might be putting the cart before the horse,” Voro said during the meeting. “I think it would be better if we looked inside the university and see how much money we spend.”

The university must now get the proposed increase passed by the Council on Postsecondary Education, which meets on June 21. The increases meet the criteria, which includes a maximum of 6 percent tuition increases for Kentucky research universities, set by the CPE and is expected to pass without problem.

The measure first passed the Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees Tuesday morning.  Some members of the committee voiced concerns, but did not vote against the measure.

“The vote I am making would have kept me from going to school,” said Vice Chair Pamela May.

Trustee Jo Hern Curris said that she was disappointed that tuition increases seem so regular.

The plan that passed Tuesday included a 6 percent raise for 2012-13, but also detailed plans for another increase for 2013-2014.  That increase, which would still have to be passed by the board at a later date, would increase in-state tuition and fees by 3 percent and out-of-state tuition and fees by 6 percent.

“I would like to indicate that the reason I am going to, with resignation, vote today for the 6 percent  is because we are going to make efforts to have closer to 3 percent raise in the subsequent year,” Curris said. “I would find it very difficult to pass another 6 percent raise next year.”

Board member Frank Shoop indicated support for the increase, pointing to statistics presented to the group that 91 percent of UK full-time fall 2011 students receive some combination of grants or scholarships to offset their costs.

“That may soften the blow of some of these tuition increases,” Shoop said.

Finance committee chair James Stuckert reiterated what Shoop had focused on.

“I know a 6 percent increase sounds like a humongous amount, but net of everything (after grants and scholarships) for 91 percent of our students it’s $1,100 (remaining student bill after grants and scholarships),” Stuckert said. “I don’t see any super-burden on individuals.”

“I don’t see any super-burden on individuals,” finance committee chair James Stuckert said.

Outgoing SG president Micah Fielden stood behind the plan at the meeting.

“I support the president fully in this proposal, because in the long run this will be affordable for our students,” Fielden said. “If we didn’t provide increases and continue to provide a good level of education, students would have to stay longer to be able to take the classes they need.  A 6 percent increase in tuition is manageable — what could be the cost of an extra year or an extra semester.”

The new SG president, Stephen Bilas, also agreed with the need for increases.

“I am like Micah, in full support of the president,” Bilas said. “This is a difficult time for the administration and for the state with all these budget cuts.  Increases are likely and will happen, but needs to not be the go-to response to anything and everything.”

Related link: Athletics Association votes to dissolve board of directors

Barnhart said that athletes at the university are excelling, “academically, socially and competitively.”

Related link: Athletics Committee members named

He singled out on-the-field performances in men’s and women’s basketball, rifle, baseball, softball and men’s tennis.

Bell detailed the specific components of the NCAA Academic Progress Rate rankings.  She reported that UK and Vanderbilt are the only two SEC schools to not have received a single NCAA APR penalty.

“Every player was here through last Friday, got to class and is doing well academically,” Bell said in reference to UK basketball players that will soon be entering the NBA draft.

If the proposal is approved, it will be submitted to the Council on Postsecondary Education for approval at its June 21 meeting.

UK President Eli Capilouto outlined the tuition hike as part of a response to the cuts in the state budget.

Related link:  UK President Eli Capilouto addresses state budget cuts.

The board will also vote on a proposed increase in housing rates for premium residence halls and Greek housing.

Other matters before the board include renaming the Multicultural Studies Endowment to the Georgia Davis Powers Endowment and the designation of an agent for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance.

Related link:  Former Kentucky State Sen. Georgia Powers donates papers to UK.

We are going through things that no other program in the history of college basketball has gone through. No other program is losing five or six players a year. We are facing issues and having to make decisions with the thought of what’s next and where are we going, which includes our schedule.

When we schedule, there are three factors my staff and our administration must take into consideration: (1) preparing our players for the postseason, (2) our fans and (3) the financial component.

You can read Coach Calipari’s full text here.

What are your thoughts on the proposed changes to the schedule?

UK senior pitcher Chanda Bell pitched a no-hitter Sunday, helping the Cats finish off a three-game weekend sweep over the No. 22 LSU Tigers.

“Oh my goodness,” Bell said when asked about her emotion following the final out, which was a strikeout to secure the no-hitter, the UK 1-0 win and the series sweep. This was Bell’s fourth career no-hitter.

The game was another close one as both pitchers went the distance. LSU starting pitcher Rachel Fico got off to a rough start, after allowing a lead-off double to senior Brittany Cervantes, Fico hit the next batter and then walked the following batter to load the bases with no outs. After that she settled down striking out the next two batters and forcing the third to pop-out to center-field.

There was little offensive production until the sixth inning, when the Cats were finally able to scrap together a run. Freshman catcher Griffin Joiner walked and was knocked in by junior outfielders Alice O’Brien with 2 outs.

The one UK run was all Bell would need. Bell took the mound in the seventh ninning and forced the first two batters to ground out before striking out the third to secure the no-hitter. The win clinched the Cats the fifth seed in the SEC tournament next week in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

“Every team in this conference is awesome,” UK head coach Rachel Lawson said. “You have to prepare for every game the same due to the level of competition we will be facing.”

“Perfectly scripted,” Lawson said in characterizing the weekend. “Sweep was great, a first for our program.”

The series win over LSU was the first in program history, and so was the sweep. The Cats will face the Georgia Bulldogs Thursday at 4 p.m. in the first round of the SEC tournament. The game will be nationally televised on ESPNU.