Softball Prepares for Single Game at No. 11 Kentucky

Marshall Game Notes

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Marshall softball team is back on the road for a single, midweek contest in non-conference action at No. 11 Kentucky. First pitch from John Cropp Stadium is set for Wednesday at 6 p.m.

The Thundering Herd enters the game with an 18-6 record while the 11th-ranked Wildcats are 18-4.

Game Details
Watch: SEC Network +
Listen: 88.1 WMUL-FM with audio streamed online www.marshall.edu/wmul through one of the Listen Live links. Scott Hall will have the call.
Live Stats: SIDEARM

Parking
• Free game day parking is available in the upper and lower paved lots adjacent to John Cropp Stadium.
• Additional parking will be available in the College Way East and West Lots, Kroger Field Green Lot, and Kroger Field Blue Lot.
• A complimentary shuttle will pick up from the College Way West Lot, Kroger Field Blue Lot, and Kroger Field Green Lot beginning one and a half hours prior to first pitch.
• The shuttle will continue to run until 30 minutes after first pitch and will resume 90 minutes after first pitch and will continue until 30 minutes after the end of the game.

Last Time Out: Thundering Herd Round Robin
Marshall hosted the Bucknell Bison and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Dot Hicks Field with each team playing four games. After some uncooperative weather on Friday, the tournament picked up Saturday. The Herd began the weekend with a 4-3 victory over Bucknell. It was not one of the best games for Marshall, picking up just three hits. However, those three hits were doubles from junior Aly Harrell and senior Sierra Huerta, and a home run from junior Katie Adams. The two-run home run from Adams came in the third inning and gave Marshall the lead. Freshman Ashley Blessin struck out a career-high seven batters in six innings, earning her sixth win of the year. Junior Laney Jones finished the contest and picked up her third save of the season.

Marshall had to rely on late-game heroics to pick up the win, 9-8, over Rutgers. The Herd took a 3-0 lead after the third, and led 4-2 after the fourth, but the Scarlet Knights scored four in the fifth and one more in the top of the sixth to take a 7-4 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, Marshall scored five runs - all with two outs - to take back the lead. Harrell drove in sophomore Grace Chelemen for the first run. After a double by Huerta put two runners on, sophomore Mya Stevenson launched a towering shot for a three-run home run that gave the Herd a one-run lead. Junior Saige Pye gave Marshall a little more breathing room with a solo home run for back-to-back jacks. Rutgers scored one in the top of the seventh, but Jones and the Herd Defense clamped down for the victory. Jones picked up her fourth save of the season, tying her with Abigail Harter from 2004 (2004-07) for the most in a single-season in program history.

The Herd came out flat against Bucknell on Sunday and fell in game one, 6-1. Adams drove in sophomore Rachel Pennington for Marshall's only run.

The bats fired back to life in the final game of the weekend against Rutgers. Stevenson drove in the first run of the game in the first. The Scarlet Knights tied the game at 1-1 in the third, which did not last long. Stevenson smacked a three-run homer in the third to put Marshall up 4-1. Senior Haleigh Christopher added a two-run blast in the fourth and then Stevenson hit another three-run bomb in the fifth to end the game, 9-1. Stevenson finished the game 3-for-3 and tied two career-highs with two home runs and seven RBI. Blessin recorded her seventh win of the season and allowed just three hits.

The Opponent
The 11th-ranked Wildcats come in to the midweek contest with a 19-4 record and an explosive offense. While Marshall is ninth in the NCAA in scoring average at 7.25 runs per game, Kentucky leads the nation with 8.74 runs per contest. Before beginning SEC play this past weekend against Texas A&M, the Wildcats swept through The Spring Games tournament in North Orlando outscoring the opposition 66-3 and pitched three shutouts. The final game against Dartmouth, a 4-0 win, was the closest game. The other four wins were all double-digit, run scoring games including a 17-1 win over FIU and a 22-0 victory over Detroit Mercy. UK then defeated Texas A&M 11-9 on Saturday before falling 6-3 in game two on Sunday. The third game of the series was played Monday night and featured two grand slams in the first two innings as the Wildcats held on to win 9-8.

Along with being ranked first in scoring, Kentucky is in the top 10 in five other offensive categories; third in on base percentage (.448), fourth in batting average (.360), fifth in slugging percentage (.606), seventh in triples per game (0.50) and eighth in home runs per game (1.36). Senior Bailey Vick leads the nation in batting average at .571, has 36 hits, already scored 33 runs and has eight stolen bases. Fellow senior Alex Martens is batting .500, also has 36 hits, nine doubles, nine home runs and 45 RBI. Junior Mallory Payton and senior Autumn Humes hit the grand slams Monday night in the win over Texas A&M. For Payton, it was her team-leading 11th home run of the year. Sophomore speedster Kayla Kowalik leads the NCAA with eight triples and also leads the team with nine steals.

In the circle, head coach Rachel Lawson has used eight different pitchers this season. Sophomore Meghan Schorman has the most innings with 43, a 1.67 ERA, 7-1 record and 45 strikeouts. Autumn Humes is next with 37.1 innings, has a 4.10 ERA and a 5-0 record. Junior Grace Baalman is third with 28.2 innings, a 3.45 ERA and a 3-2 record. Coach Lawson is in her 13th season leading the Wildcats and has a 451-279 record at Kentucky and 543 wins overall. UK has been to the NCAA Tournament the last 11 years.

Up Next
Marshall returns to Dot Hicks Field, March 13-15, for the Herd's Conference USA opener against the FIU Panthers. In 2020 Conference USA has moved to playing three-game series over three days. Game one between Marshall and FIU is set for Friday, March 13 at 1 p.m. Game two is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. and the series finale is Sunday at 12 p.m.

For all of the latest information on the Marshall Softball team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdSB, Facebook at Marshall University Softball and on www.herdzone.com.

To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!

---HerdZone.com---

Softball Prepares for Single Game at No. 11 Kentucky

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Players Mentioned

Katie Adams

Ashley Blessin

Grace Chelemen

Haleigh Christopher

Aly Harrell

Sierra Huerta

Laney Jones

Rachel Pennington

Saige Pye

Mya Stevenson

Marshall University Athletics