Almost no one in the crowd had ever experienced anything like what happened Wednesday night at the UK Softball Complex between the Cats and the Louisville Cardinals. And rightfully so, since at one point it looked more like the score of a September game at Commonwealth Stadium.

The game began with Louisville (32-14) scoring six runs in the first inning, fueled by two UK errors. The second inning didn’t start much better, as freshman pitcher Ellen Weaver was chased after giving up seven runs, only two earned, in just one and one-third innings.

With a senior class that had never beaten their in-state rival, UK head coach Rachel Lawson said the team might have showed some nerves out of the gate.

“I think we were a little amped up and tentative, having never beaten Louisville,” Lawson said. “But believe it or not, when the score got out of hand, I think we calmed down a little bit.”

After Junior Rachel Riley entered and calmed the Cardinal bats, the UK offense awoke.

Powered by four hits, including a bases-loaded triple by Kara Dill, UK (33-10, 11-6 SEC) put up eight runs in the third inning to suddenly take the lead. And with Riley on the mound, the Cardinals would never get it back.

“I was just trying to go out there and do my thing,” Riley said. “I knew if I could help us out on defense, the offense would come back.”

Not only did the offense come back, but it never let up. The Cats scored a run in the fourth and fifth, followed by four in sixth, including a two-run homer by Aubrey Lamar.

For what started as a possible blowout at the hands of the Cardinals, Wednesday’s game quickly turned into a UK rout with a final score of 14-8 in favor of the Cats.

The Cats hope to continue their offensive momentum as they travel to Columba, SC this weekend for a 3-game series with the Gamecocks.