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UK Softball headed to Athens, Ohio to face the University of Ohio in a double-header matchup on Tuesday afternoon, losing the first game and coming out victorious in the next.

Game one was an intense pitching duel between UK senior Kelsey Nunley and Ohio’s Savannah Jo Dorsey. Nunley held her own in the matchup, allowing just four hits, one walk, one run, and striking out eight batters in the process.

Dorsey, however, came out with the victory and the nearly flawless performance, allowing no runs, no walks, one hit, and had eleven strike outs in eight innings pitched for the Bobcats.

It was an elite pitching display through regulation, as only four hits were allowed in the first seven innings by Nunley and Dorsey.

With Dorsey’s success came UK’s offensive struggles, as the only batter that managed to get on base was Nikki Sagermann, off a double in the top of the fifth inning. The rest of the offense was unsuccessful to get much done at the plate in game one.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, an error scored an Ohio runner on third, giving the Bobcats the 1-0 victory and UK their fifth loss of the season. 

It wouldn’t take long for the Cats to shake off the heartbreaking loss, as they immediately fired away in the second half of the double-header.

In the top of the first inning in game two, Abbey Cheek hit a three-run home run to push the lead to 3-0, which ended up being UK’s only scoring of the game.

Meagan Prince and Shannon Smith split time at the mound, and equally dominated the Bobcats. In 3.2 innings, Prince allowed just one hit, no runs, no walks, and had two strike outs. In 3.1 innings pitched, Smith allowed two hits, one walk, and one run, along with three strikeouts.

Cheek was easily the player of the game, as she went two for three at the plate, including three RBI and two hits, with one hit being a homer in the first. Christian Stokes, Breanne Ray, Sagermann, and Sylver Samuel also produced hits on the day.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Ohio hit a home run to cut the lead to 3-1, putting pressure on the UK pitching staff to finish the job. Prince headed back to the pitcher’s circle and managed to pull off two quick outs to end the game for a final score of 3-1.

With the victory in game two, UK moves to 31-5 on the year. The Cats will head back home to continue conference play against the Auburn Tigers on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. ET at John Cropp Stadium.

After Friday’s matchup, the girls will play again on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and once more on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.