Alexia Lacatena impressed coach Rachel Lawson in Wednesday's win over Louisville. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Rachel Lawson didn’t mind that Kentucky fell behind rival Louisville 1-0 in the top of the first inning Wednesday. No, it was not ideal but it also gave the Kentucky coach a chance again to see how her team would respond to adversity.
Kentucky roared back to build a 7-1 lead that provided more than enough cushion to survive a three-run Louisville rally in the seventh inning.
“I love when our team answers back. This weekend (against Texas A&M) was hard for us because we were struggling a little bit figuring out what is going on with our pitching. I just loved that our offense had our pitcher’s back and she took that momentum for six innings,” Lawson said.
Sophomore Alexia Lacatena got her eighth win of the season by giving up seven hits and three earned runs in six innings. She struck out two.
“You would love for her to put it away (with a complete game) but I was so proud because I had her do so many things during the game,” Lawson said.
Senior Sloan Gayan came in after Lacatena gave up a two-run homer in the seventh and held Louisville scoreless.
“I was equally proud of Sloan that she was able to come in and close the door because that is something she has been working on too,” Lawson said after the game. “She has changed her makeup a little bit and that was a great opportunity for her.”
Lawson knows getting the save boosted Gayan’s confidence more than it did the coach’s confidence because she’s “always had confidence” in Gayan.
“I was so proud of her because she was able to calm herself down and was able to pitch the way she wanted. I thought it was great that she did that,” Lawson said.
Junior Stephanie Schoonover has become the staff ace. She is 12-1 with a 1.45 ERA and has 146 strikeouts in 96 innings in 20 appearances. However, she is “dealing with an arm issue” even though she beat Texas A&M 10-2 Sunday.
“She is absolutely a SEC ace. I was really proud of her last weekend. She probably pitched with about 60 percent of the stuff she’s been doing all year. She was still able to come up with a win against a good team,” Lawson said. “No question when she is full go she is one of the best in the conference.”
That’s one reason Lawson took her out after only two innings in the series opener against Texas A&M when UK had a lead.
“I always have faith in Stephanie. She is a great player and has a lot of heart but she has to stay healthy,” Lawson said Wednesday. “We have a lot of season left and the postseason. That’s why it was so important that Lex (Alexia) stepped up today like she did.”
Lacatena has a 2.66 ERA and 8-2 record in 13 appearances. She has given up 52 hits in 47 innings and struck out 41.
Kentucky makes a rare trip to Georgia for games Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The Bulldogs are 27-6 overall and 7-1 in SEC play. They swept Texas A&M, which beat UK twice, and shut out Mississippi State twice last weekend.
“They have a great offense and their pitchers are really doing a nice job. It will be another great SEC matchup,” Lawson said. “Hopefully we can come out with a win or so. It is always an awesome atmosphere. They always bring a great crowd.”
Georgia’s Jayda Kearney is the SEC player of the week and hit .571 last week with three home runs. The junior had a 1.857 slugging percentage, drove in six runs, and had a .667 on-base percentage with a pair of walks last week. It was the third time this season she has earned the SEC’s top honor.
Georgia’s Shelby Walters was named SEC co-pitcher of the week by going 2-0 with a save in nine and two-thirds scoreless innings in three games last week. She threw Georgia’s first no-hitter in SEC play since 2009 against Mississippi State.
Lawson likes that UK’s “bigger sticks” have been delivering more in recent games.
“Our short gamers have done an incredible job getting on and winning games for us in a lot of cases. It’s nice to see. I feel pretty good about where we are at with our offense but there is more out there,” Lawson said.
The coach would like to find more opportunities for Karissa Hamilton and Taylor Ebbs to play and hit more. Same with Hallie Mitchell.
“They all kind of play the same position, so it is hard to get them in there,” Lawson said. “We also have Lauryn Borzilleri who is a really good player that I would like to use more.
“(First baseman) Meek Harrison is probably the one who has really impressed me the last few weeks when you look at her numbers and numbers with runners in scoring position (she had two two-out RBI hits against Louisville). She is doing a nice job and also making it hard for other people to get in the lineup.”
Junior outfield Vanessa Nesby is leading the team with a .471 batting average with 26 runs scored hitting behind All-American Kayla Kowalik, who is hitting .446 with a team-high 45 hits.
“Vanessa is not large but she works so hard in the weight room and she is strong and very steady,” Lawson said. “Last year at the end of the season she played well and she had an unbelievable postseason, so it is just nice to see her be able to continue to do that.
“I think anytime someone hits over .400 that is pretty special. Do I expect it? I guess but that is a really hard thing to do and I am really happy for her.”
