LEXINGTON, Ky. – Erin Coffel saved the day Wednesday night as the All-American belted a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 4-2 deficit and turn it into a 5-4 lead, one the No. 16 Kentucky Softball team would consolidate into a win over Dayton in its home opener at John Cropp Stadium.
The Wildcats struggled at the plate most of the night until the bottom of the sixth, when with two outs, Kayla Kowalik and Vanessa Nesby singled before Erin Coffel stepped to the plate and delivered a 2-1 offering over the wall in center to give UK its first lead of the night. The Wildcats had been behind the entire night after spotting the Flyers a three spot in the top of the first, but scored once in the second, once in the third and three times in the sixth to win the game.
Stephanie Schoonover won her eighth game of the season in the circle for Kentucky in relief, throwing the final four innings of the game without surrendering an earned run on just two hits and seven strikeouts. Kennedy Sullivan started the game and Alexia Lacatena pitched two innings in relief without allowing a run on just one hit and one strikeout.
Kentucky with Wednesday night’s win improves to 13-5-1 on the 2023 season and Dayton falls to 6-9. Kentucky will now head to Columbia, Missouri for its first conference series of the season against the No. 23 Missouri Tigers. The Tigers come into the weekend with a 16-6 record in conference play as will look for its first win in the season series against Missouri since 2017. First pitch will be Friday night at 5 p.m. ET.
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Coffel’s Three-Run Bomb Gives Kentucky 5-4 Win over Dayton – UK Athletics​
The Wildcats struggled at the plate most of the night until the bottom of the sixth, when with two outs, Kayla Kowalik and Vanessa Nesby singled before Erin Coffel stepped to the plate and delivered a 2-1 offering over the wall in center to give UK its first lead of the night. The Wildcats had been behind the entire night after spotting the Flyers a three spot in the top of the first, but scored once in the second, once in the third and three times in the sixth to win the game.
Stephanie Schoonover won her eighth game of the season in the circle for Kentucky in relief, throwing the final four innings of the game without surrendering an earned run on just two hits and seven strikeouts. Kennedy Sullivan started the game and Alexia Lacatena pitched two innings in relief without allowing a run on just one hit and one strikeout.
Kentucky with Wednesday night’s win improves to 13-5-1 on the 2023 season and Dayton falls to 6-9. Kentucky will now head to Columbia, Missouri for its first conference series of the season against the No. 23 Missouri Tigers. The Tigers come into the weekend with a 16-6 record in conference play as will look for its first win in the season series against Missouri since 2017. First pitch will be Friday night at 5 p.m. ET.
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Coffel’s Three-Run Bomb Gives Kentucky 5-4 Win over Dayton – UK Athletics​
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