UK softball drops season opener to UCLA, 7-1
February 10, 2012
A 7-1 loss to No. 19 UCLA on Thursday was the first time that UK head coach Rachel Lawson has lost in a season opener during her five-year tenure with the No.
Offense for the Cats came from the senior duo of Brittany Cervantes and Rachel Riley.
Cervantes scored the Cats’ lone run on a single in the fourth inning after sophomore Ginny Carroll advanced to third base following two wild pitches by the Bruins starting pitcher.
Cervantes is now 12 RBI shy of breaking the team’s career record in the category following what was the 126th of her career.
The latter of the duo, Rachel Riley, was 2-for-2 in the game with a pair of singles and was the Cats first base runner of the season after being walked in the top of the first.
UCLA’s two-run lead over the Cats was extended in the fifth inning when the Bruins scored two additional runs on a fielding error to move them ahead 5-1. Before closing out the inning, UCLA padded their lead to the final score, 7-1, with an RBI on a groundout to second base and an RBI triple.
Riley collected her second hit of the game for the Cats during the sixth inning on a single to right field, but the Cats left her stranded for the second time in the game, ending the Cats opportunities to get a runner in scoring position for the game.
Senior outfielder Macy Allen prevented the Bruins from extending their lead during the bottom of the sixth inning when she snagged a would-be home run out of the air.
The UK softball team will return to action in the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament at UCLA’s home field on Friday. The Cats will play Pacific at 5 p.m. ET and UCLA for the second time at 9 p.m. ET.