Vicky Graff Photo
Two hours before the first pitch was scheduled for the Kentucky-Alabama softball game Saturday at John Cropp Stadium, about 300 fans were in line waiting to get into the game.
That prompted UK officials to open the gates 15 minutes early and over 2,100 fans eventually watched coach Rachel Lawson’s team beat Alabama 4-3 in eight innings for its second win over Alabama in three days after UK started SEC play 0-6.
“That just shows you how awesome softball is,” Lawson said when asked about the crowd after the game. “And the SEC does … when you bring a big team into town, you know everybody wants to come watch and we have people from states surrounding Kentucky. So it is not just Kentucky but the Big Blue Nation goes a lot further than that.
“We’re signing autographs and people will be like, ‘Hey, I’m from Michigan, I’m from Ohio, I’m from Tennessee.’ We have somebody here from Oregon. I mean, like there’s people from all over the place.
“So when you bring in a great team like Alabama and draw a crowd, it really shows the power of the BBN.”
Winning pitcher Stephanie Schoonover said the atmosphere was “awesome” and one she appreciated.
“I personally don’t hear while I’m in the game pitching but when I’m in the dugout, I hear all the time and it’s nice to know once again the fans are behind you ,” the senior pitcher said. “Just like my team’s behind me and it’s a lot of fun to play for the fans like that.”
