Ally Hutchins reflects on walkoff single vs. Michigan in Kentucky's NCAA tournament opening win

As the opposite field bloop that Kentucky freshman Ally Hutchins delivered with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 7th inning came off the lip of the mitt of Michigan infielder Indiana Langford, reality sunk in: She had just delivered the Wildcats a walkoff win in their NCAA tournament opener.

And with the 4-3 win, Kentucky is set up well in the winners bracket of the Stillwater Regional. And Hutchins was just happy to step up in a big moment after some of the best hitters for Kentucky were getting walked in front of her.

“They’re great hitters and if I was a pitcher I really wouldn’t want to pitch to them in those situations, either. So the fact that I could just come up and do a job, I was just trying to have their back, too,” Hutchins said on the ESPN2 broadcast after the win.

She was also pleased to have come through in the clutch after struggling in her previous at bats, both times Michigan had walked batters to get to Hutchins in the lineup for an out.

“I was really just trying to make something happen,” Hutchins said. “I hadn’t had the greatest at bats the two before, but you always want to try to come through for your team, no matter what you can do. And it just so happened to fall that time.”

Plus, she was facing Michigan starting pitcher Lauren Derkowski, who came after the Wildcats hitters with a combination of power and offspeed that was effective most of the day.

And she worked ahead of Hutchins, getting to two strikes quickly in the at bat. Hutchins said she was just working to fight through and put a pitch in play with a chance.

“She has a great changeup, so I can’t try to pull the ball,” Hutchins said. “I was just trying to honestly keep my bat behind it and try to get the ball to the grass.”

That she did, coming up clutch for her team and sending them to a 1-0 mark to start postseason play.

And despite being a freshman, Hutchins and her teammates had a belief she could answer the bell when it mattered most.

“My team has my back and I know that, so I think that made me — a deep breath, that I could get it done,” Hutchins said.

Kentucky’s head coach discussed how to get the offense going earlier on

Rachel Lawson wanted her hitters to focus in and time up better with Derkowski, who had been lights out through three innings. And the Kentucky hitters apparently got the message.

At least Grace Lorsung followed her coaches heed. After Lawson spoke with the ESPN2 broadcast ahead of the bottom of the 4th inning, the senior bashed a solo home run off Derkowski to give Kentucky a 4-1 lead.

“Well we’ve been a little late on everything, that’s why we keep jamming up and keeping it in the infield or striking out,” Lawson said. “So we really need to do a better job of getting on time with her. I think we’re late, we can’t get our swing off. And we need to — hopefully this time through, we’ll be able to get it.”

And while Kentucky had given up the opening run of the game, they had mostly managed to stave off danger from Michigan, which left a pair of runners on base in the first and second innings.

The big concern for Lawson and Co was managing starting pitcher Stephanie Schoonover, who went beyond 100 pitches in the top of the 4th inning.

“Well she’s just going too deep in counts,” Lawson said. “We gotta get ahead a little bit earlier, mix it a little bit differently. They’re putting people on and that’s not helping. So we’ve gotta make sure that we attack ’em early, keep them off base with our defense and then just see what happens.” 

Unfortunately for Lawson and Kentucky, Schoonover gave up a two-run shot on her 118th pitch, putting the Wildcats behind, 3-2.