SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Thanks to an early three-run home run by freshman Maddy Anson in the top of the second inning and another sparkling effort in the circle by freshman Hailey Nutter, the Kentucky Softball team run ruled Minnesota 8-0 in five innings Sunday to complete opening weekend at the 2026 Aztec Season Kick-Off.
The Wildcats outhit the Gophers 9-2 in the game as freshman Hailey Nutter, who threw a no-hitter Saturday, went the opening 3.2 innings today without allowing a run before a ground ball up the middle in the bottom of the fourth resulted in the Golden Gophers first hit. Eight of the nine players in the Kentucky starting lineup recorded a hit in the game and Anson’s home run, a three-run shot, was her first-career longball.
With Sunday’s win, Kentucky improves to 4-1 to start the 2026 season and closes the weekend as the tournament champions of the Aztec Season Kick-Off. San Diego State went 3-1 in the event, Miami (OH) went 4-1, Minnesota went 2-3 and Loyola-Chicago closed out play 0-5 in the tournament.
Kentucky will continue its 11-day west coast road trip to open the season on Tuesday in Santa Barbara as it will plat the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos at UCSB on ESPN+ before continuing the trip up the coast to Palo Alto for a weekend against Stanford, Oregon, Cal St. Fullerton and Cal Poly next weekend.
Anson’s Early Three-Run Bomb Powers Kentucky Past Gophers – UK Athletics
The Wildcats outhit the Gophers 9-2 in the game as freshman Hailey Nutter, who threw a no-hitter Saturday, went the opening 3.2 innings today without allowing a run before a ground ball up the middle in the bottom of the fourth resulted in the Golden Gophers first hit. Eight of the nine players in the Kentucky starting lineup recorded a hit in the game and Anson’s home run, a three-run shot, was her first-career longball.
With Sunday’s win, Kentucky improves to 4-1 to start the 2026 season and closes the weekend as the tournament champions of the Aztec Season Kick-Off. San Diego State went 3-1 in the event, Miami (OH) went 4-1, Minnesota went 2-3 and Loyola-Chicago closed out play 0-5 in the tournament.
Kentucky will continue its 11-day west coast road trip to open the season on Tuesday in Santa Barbara as it will plat the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos at UCSB on ESPN+ before continuing the trip up the coast to Palo Alto for a weekend against Stanford, Oregon, Cal St. Fullerton and Cal Poly next weekend.
Anson’s Early Three-Run Bomb Powers Kentucky Past Gophers – UK Athletics