The Toledo softball team opened the NCAA Lexington Regional May 17 with a 7-2 loss to Kentucky in Lexington.
Toledo took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on five consecutive singles, but the Wildcats countered with four runs in the bottom of the first and added three more in the fifth to clinch the victory.
Sophomore pitcher Erin Hunt struck out four Kentucky batters May 17 in the NCAA Lexington Regional.
Sophomore Erin Hunt took the loss, pitching well for much of the game despite the final score as she struck out four batters on the day.
“The better team came out on top, but we’re proud that we showed that we can we play with this type of team,” Head Coach Joe Abraham said. “Because of the way we played in the [Mid-American Conference] Tournament last week, we were confident throughout this whole game, even going into the seventh inning.”
The Wildcats finished the regular-season ranked 16th in the NCAA RPI with a 34-22 overall record and 14-10 ledger in the Southeastern Conference. Despite being a powerhouse, Abraham and the Rockets weren’t phased coming into the game.
“In that first inning, we weren’t the least bit intimidated, so it didn’t surprise me that we came out with two runs in the first,” Abraham said. “Our girls can flat out rake. I’m surprised we didn’t get more, frankly.”
Toledo saw eight of nine batters record a hit, and runs were brought in from sophomore Bekah Yenrick and junior Morgan Paaverud.
The Rockets’ next game is Saturday, May 18, at 2:30 p.m. when they’ll face Illinois in an elimination game. The winner of that contest will play the loser of the Kentucky-Virginia Tech game, which will be played May 18 at noon.
