Vicky Graff Photo
She threw 181 pitches Thursday night when Kentucky beat visiting Alabama 6-3 and was back on the mound Saturday when Kentucky went to extra innings with Alabama.
But there was no way senior Stephanie Schooner was leaving the mound and she got the win when Rylea Smith’s double drove in the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning in the 4-3 win.
Schooner threw 140 pitches, gave up two earned runs, walked three and struck out four to up her record to 13-5.
Did coach Rachel Lawson ever debate taking Schoonover since she had thrown over 300 pitches in less than 48 hours?
“No, she better not,” Schoonover laughed and said after the win. “She trusted me and she knew if I needed (to come out) I’ll tell her but no, I think she knew I was good to go.”
The senior pitcher admitted she was not throwing as hard Saturday as she did Thursday but yet still found a way to win.
“It goes back to relying on my teammates. My teammates had my back. I mean, I wasn’t throwing as hard as I was on Thursday. So that’s different,” Schoonover said. “They (Alabama players) make adjustments. They’re a great team. So it’s good to use your defense when there’s games like that.”
Kentucky coach Rachel Lawson didn’t doubt Schoonover saying she would not come out.
“She’s a workhorse and she always has been a workhorse. It’s nice to see her enjoying, you know, being out there throwing strikes just being in the heat of the battle,” Lawson said. “It’s why she’s one of my favorite pitchers to watch.
“Today, her game plan was completely different than it was Friday night too. So to have the mentality to be able to go in there and just to be able to create, you know, different sequences and different pitches really shows how mature she really is,” Lawson said.
Schoonover was feeling no pain after the win despite the huge workload in less than 48 hours.
“Tired, obviously, but I’m good to go,” Schoonover said. “I feel good. It’s great to have that many innings. I love doing a lot of pitches.”
Does it feel better than if UK had lost?
“Yes sir. Probably a little bit more,” Schoonover smiled and said. “But no, honestly I feel good.”
Kentucky’s whole team should feel better. The Cats had started SEC play 0-6 with three home losses to LSU and three road losses to Florida — and most of the games were not that close.
Schoonover said it was “huge” for UK to get the win.
“To come in and play as a team, and this was a gritty game, and for us to just keep going and winning as a team together. It was pretty awesome,” the senior said.
Schoonover has her own routine during games. She tends to sit by herself in the dugout to think about every pitch.
“Then when it’s time to go back out there I regroup. I take a deep breath and I always tell my catcher, ‘Hey, it’s me and you every pitch and every inning right here,” Schoonover said.
The senior knew she couldn’t let her emotions after Alabama scored a run in the seventh to tie the game. Alabama did have a baserunner in the eighth inning but Schoonover did not wilt and her fourth strikeout ended the threat and gave Smith a chance to drive in the winning run in the bottom of the inning.
“It always starts in the circle. I mean, the pitcher has to pitch the ball to get the game going. So I mean, I didn’t feel any weight on my shoulders at all. I knew they had my back the whole time they were fighting, so I was gonna fight right there with them,” the Kentucky pitcher said.
When Smith got her hit, Schoonover was one of the first players out of the dugout to celebrate.
“It was amazing. I skipped down the dugout screaming my head off. I was so excited,” Schoonover said. “It was amazing for her to do it. I was so excited.”
Schoonover was excited from the first pitch. She celebrated when teammates made fielding plays starting with the first inning.
“Every out matters. It’s the little things we should celebrate so then the big things look even bigger,” she said. “It gets me hyped up to know that they have my back.
Lawson was pleased with the contributions from others, too. Sophomore Karissa Hamilton had a two-run double in the fourth inning.
“She looked so calm in the (batter’s box). She showed that she really belonged here and is a big-time player,” Lawson said.
Junior catcher Hallie Smith had a hit and also two daring, but successful, advancements on the base path to get into scoring range.
“She hasn’t had a lot of at-bats like some of the other people and the fact that she can go in such an electric environment in a big crowd pressure situation and be able to capitalize on her opportunities really shows how tough she is,” the Kentucky coach said.
Junior pitcher Alexia Lacatena scored the game-winning run. She entered the game as a pinch runner for Lauryn Borzilleri who walked with one out in the eighth. After a single by Erin Coffel, Smith ripped her double in left center to send Lacatena home with the winning run.
“She is an incredible athlete. She’s an awesome defender and she’s very fast so I just wanted to get some speed on the bases so if we got a hit she could score from second,” Lawson said about Lacatena. “I just put the fastest player we had left and it worked out.”
Kentucky now has four wins over top 25 teams this season. Kentucky is 23-12 going into Wednesday’s game at 5 p.m. against Northern Kentucky.
Kentucky-Bama Softball
Photos by Vicky Graff
