Coon Helps Power Virginia To 4-1 Win Over No. 23 Kentucky

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Senior catcher Sarah Coon hit a pair of triples and scored the tying and go-ahead runs as Virginia (4-2) defeated No. 23 Kentucky (5-2) by a score of 4-1 at the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational on Thursday (Feb. 13).

HOW IT HAPPENED
Kentucky struck first as leadoff hitter Ally Hutchins singled, stole second and moved to third on a sac bunt. She then scored on a wild pitch to give the Wildcats the 1-0 lead after the first.

Virginia answered in the second as Sarah Coon led off with a triple off the top of the wall in right field and came home two batters later on a sac fly to center from Reece Holbrook.

Coon opened the fourth inning with her second triple of the day and scored on a wild pitch two batters later to give the Hoos the 2-1 lead.

Virginia extended the lead to 4-1 in the fifth inning, pushing two runs home. Kailyn Jones opened the frame with a double to the gap in right center. Jade Hylton pushed a sac bunt down the third base line, but the throw to first was off target and Jones scored from second on the play while Hylton went to third. Virginia then loaded the bases before a groundout to second from Macee Eaton brought  Hylton home.

The 4-1 advantage held down the stretch as the Hoos kept the Wildcats in check through the final two frames.

Savanah Henley (2-0) picked up the win in relief, working 3.0 innings and allowing one hit with a walk and two strikeouts. Eden Bigham picked up her third save as she closed out the final two frames with two strikeouts and did not allow a hit.

Sydney Langdon (1-1) took the loss for Kentucky, allowing three runs – two of them earned – on four hits with a walk and a strikeout through her 4.0 innings of work.

NOTES ON THE HOOS
• It was only the second meeting between the two programs and the series is now tied 1-1 with Kentucky.
• Sarah Coon’s triple in the second inning was her first career triple. She finished the day with two triples.
• Coon finished the day 2-for-3 with two runs scored to lead the offense at the plate.
• The game against the Wildcats was Virginia’s third against an SEC team in the first six games of the season and the Hoos will follow it up with two more SEC opponents in the next two games in Clearwater.
• The Virginia pitching staff combined to limit Kentucky to only two hits on the afternoon.

FROM HEAD COACH JOANNA HARDIN
“This is a great event. ESPN does a great job and the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational is just amazing and we’re grateful to have an opportunity to be a part of the field. That was a great start. We knew Kentucky would be tough. We knew they were coming into game two of a doubleheader and would be hunting and on the attack. I was proud of our effort and focus. There was a lot of potential interference when you come to a big event like this, but we stayed the course and played inning by inning and out by out.”

UP NEXT FOR THE HOOS
Virginia returns to action on Friday (Feb. 14) with a single game at the tournament, facing Auburn at 10 a.m. on ESPN2.