Heading into Ann Arbor Michigan for this weekends softball regional not too many people expected anything but the #10 ranked host team Michigan Wolverines to come out on top behind veteran star pitcher Jordan Taylor. After a win against Central Michigan, it still looked to be the case. However, the Big Blue Nation didn't see things that way. Kentuckys womens softball team beat Notre Dame on Friday to advance to play Michigan yesterday in a semi finals game. After jumping up to a 7-0 lead it looked like the Lady Cats were going to cruise, only for Michigan to rally late in the 7th and give them a 7-6 scare.
Fast forward to today, Michigan defeated Notre Dame in an elimination game yesterday evening to set the stage for today's regional final. In control from the start Wolverine superstar Jordan Taylor mowed down almost every Wildcat she faced, all the way until the bottom of the 7th inning. Holding a 1-0 lead (Kentucky was home team since they were lone team remaining in winners bracket) Taylor took to the field trying to push for one more game, a game that would advance the heavily favored Wolverines into the Super Regionals. The way Taylor dominated the game it was looking as if Kentucky would have to get ready for a double header today and look to the second game if they were to advance to their first Super Regional. Being a double elimination format Michigan would have to have had two wins over the Lady Cats today in order to advance. Albeit controlled the whole game, the ladies from the Bluegrass were not about to give up. A solo shot homerun by Megan Aull to lead off the 7th instantly tied the game and ended Taylor's dominance. After that ensued a meltdown of epic proportions as Taylor (one of the nations elite pitchers) walked the next two Wildcat batters, then hit the third by pitch to load the bases full. After gaining some control and striking out the next batter, Wildcat LF and number eight hitter Annie Rowlands stepped to the plate. Not the situation Kentucky wanted, having their last two outs rely on a pair of girls who have had struggled as of late. In fact on the season Rowlands had only batted a dismal .143, the worst on the team by far (6 of 9 batters have averages of .300+). BUT, that did not stop her from stepping to the plate with one out in the bottom of the 7th in a tied game to win it in walk off fashion against one of the best softball pitchers in the sport. With a bloop shot over first base Rowlands sent the Wolverines home for good and sent the Lady Cats to the first Super Regional appearance in school history.
If the Lady Cats can come out of the two team Super Regional pool as they did the four team regional pool they will also advance to the first College Softball World Series in school history. None the less, this weekends performance is reason enough to celebrate and hats off to all the ladies for getting to the school's first ever Super Regional.
update***** Kentucky will host Cal in National Super Regional. Cal is the higher seeded team and ranked in the top ten in nationally in the AP and other rankings, but a scheduling conflict is forcing the World Series qualifier to be held in Lexington. This is a big break for a team coming off the weekend upset in Michigan. Series starts next weekend and is a best of 3. Winner goes to College Softball World Series.
Wooooot.......
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