UK softball looks to keep momentum going against Louisville
April 3, 2018
After securing a 10-0 victory against the EKU Colonels on Tuesday, UK’s No. 19-ranked softball team will look to get another win on Wednesday when they host arch-rival Louisville.
The Cardinals, who have gone 8-7 over the last three weeks after starting the year 16-4, are looking to build off momentum from their weekend series with NC State.
Here’s what you need to know as first pitch approaches:
Louisville Cardinals – ACC
Record: 24-11 overall; 4-5 in ACC play, 3-2 on the road
The Cardinals are hitting .314 in conference play, led by senior infielder Sidney Melton (.478) and junior pitcher/outfielder Megan Hensley (.435), who has starred on the mound, appearing in six games, with three complete game-starts and a 3-1 record in ACC play.
She has combined with freshman Danielle Watson for a 3.14 ERA, and an opponent’s batting average of .242 in conference.
Despite the quality team batting average and ERA, Louisville sits below .500 in ACC competition due to a lack of run support. They’ve scored 27 runs in the nine games, 12 of which came in two shut-out victories. If they’re able to string a few hits together against the Cats instead of having them dispersed throughout the game, they could pull out a win with their strong pitching duo.
Kentucky Wildcats – SEC
Record: 21-11 overall; 3-8 in SEC play, 12-2 home
The Cats have been struggling from the dish since SEC play began, hitting a paltry .211 as a team. Sophomore outfielder Bailey Vick and senior Erin Rethlake have been doing their part to start a stagnant offense, going .333 and .273 respectively.
The pitching staff has been good but not great, compiling a 3.76 ERA. Their .277 batting average against isn’t the best either.
Sophomore Autumn Humes leads the staff with a 2.52 ERA and .258 batting average against in the span, but has just a 1-4 record due to only five runs of support in her six appearances.
With nothing having gone well for Kentucky over the past three weeks, getting a home win over their in-state rival would be a great way to turn things around. The 10-0 victory over EKU on Tuesday should serve as a tune-up for the Cardinals, as the Cats scored 10 runs for the second time in 10 games against the Colonels.
A month remains in the regular season, and there’s still plenty of time left to make a run. Finally getting the rest of the bats going to help Vick and Rethlake will be the key to victory.
Kentucky hosts Louisville at John Cropp Stadium on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.