Rachel Lawson Secures Win 700 in Kentucky Softball Tournament Triumph

It was a successful weekend for Kentucky softball as they closed out their preseason tournament schedule. The team went 4-1 in the 2025 WKU Tournament, only dropping their first game on Friday. They capped it off with an 8-0 win on Sunday over Evansville, the 700th career victory for head coach Rachel Lawson, giving the Cats a 14-6 record on the eve of SEC play.

Off To A Slow Start

To begin the weekend, Kentucky lost their first game on Friday to Evansville 7-5 due to a troublesome first inning. This is the second weekend in a row the team has lost their first game.

It was a terrible start for Kentucky as Evansville scored all seven of their runs in the first inning. This was most runs the Wildcats have given up in an inning all season.

Fortunately, the pitching was able to stop the Aces offense entirely after that inning, allowing them to battle back into the game. Ally Hutchins got her first home run of the season in the 5th inning to bring them within two, but it was too little too late.

Kentucky came back later in the day to take on Western Kentucky. Down by one heading into the 7th inning, clutch hits from Peyton Plotts and Lauren Borzilleri boosted the ‘Cats to a 7-5 win.

This game stayed close from start to finish. Plotts and Hutchins hit back-to-back homers in the 4th inning to put Kentucky up by two midway through. Western Kentucky did not flinch, scoring three runs of their own in the 6th inning to overtake the lead.

In the 7th, Kentucky had two outs and two runners on base. The Wildcats wouldn’t have wanted anyone else but their offensive leader, Peyton Plotts, at the plate. Down to her final strike, Plotts came up huge with an RBI double to tie the game.

It was Lauren Borzilleri with a 2-RBI single to take the lead. To finish it off, Sarah Haendiges came in for relief, striking out all three batters to seal the deal.

Two Wins On Day Two

In a close battle on Saturday, Kentucky got the win against Tennessee Tech 4-3 from a walk-off single by freshman Anna Mauck.

All weekend, it seemed that Plotts and Borzilleri were saving the day for the Wildcats. Kentucky had been shutout by Tennessee Tech up until the 5th inning when Borzilleri solo homered to put them on the board. Still trailing by one, Plotts delivered another clutch RBI to tie the game at 2-2.

Tennessee Tech scored one run in the 7th inning, putting Kentucky in must score situation. To no one’s surprise, Plotts had yet another RBI single to tie the game.

With no outs and a runner on third, Anna Mauck entered the game to pinch hit. Mauck delivered a timely single through the left side gap, scoring the runner and winning the game for Kentucky. This was the first walk-off win this season for the ‘Cats.

.⁦@Annamauck2024⁩ puts this one on ice and Kentucky wins‼️‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/VZ7MwQyUsb

— Kentucky Softball (@UKsoftball) March 1, 2025

Kentucky had a rematch with Western Kentucky to finish their games on Saturday. A combination of great pitching and four triples led the Wildcats to a 8-5 win.

Alexia Lacatena pitched 6.2 innings, allowed four runs, and got the win for Kentucky. Offensively, Hallie Mitchell, Peyton Plotts, Delani Sullivan, and Lauren Borzilleri all had triples to lead the way.

‘Cats Get Revenge

Kentucky avenged their prior loss to Evansville with a 8-0 victory over the Aces on Sunday. Sarah Haendiges got her first start of the season, shutting out Evansville and striking out 11 batters.

The offensive depth of this team shows more and more with each game. Previously in the weekend, Plotts, Borzilleri, and Hutchins were taking on the majority of the load. On Sunday, it was McKenzie Bump, Emory Donaldson, and Karissa Hamilton stepping up with a combined six RBIs.

Kentucky will start SEC play next weekend against Missouri at John Cropp Stadium. So far, the Wildcats have shown they are capable of hanging in with great teams. SEC play will be the real test of whether this team has what it takes.