Coffel hits 62nd-career homer to become the new solo leader
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – March 3, 3024
Senior shortstop Erin Coffel deposited a 1-0 pitch over the wall in center field for her Kentucky Softball record-breaking 62nd-career home run Sunday afternoon as No. 14 Kentucky closed the weekend with an 8-1 win over UNC Wilmington in the 2024 Queen City Classic.
With the home run, Coffel passed Abbey Cheek (2016-2019) to become the all-time leader at Kentucky, one of many offensive records she is on pace to break as the season progresses. Coffel approached the plate in a 3-1 game in the top of the fifth inning following a Margaret Tobias lead-off single and hit a no-doubter over the batter’s eye in CF that rolled beyond the stadium premises all the way to the surrounding road to put an exclamation on the record and claim stake to one of the most prominent records in program history.
Kentucky as a team scored eight runs on nine hits in the ballgame, as Stephanie Schoonover pitched a complete-game, allowing just one run on three SeaHawk hits. Schoonover went the distance allowing just three hits, had nine strikeouts and logged her eighth run of the season doing so as she moved to 8-1 in the circle doing so.
The 2024 John Cropp Stadium season opener will be Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET against Bellarmine. The game will be shown live on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app. Tickets are available at UKathletics.com/tickets.
Key Play
The key play in the game was Peyton Plotts’ home run in the top of the fourth inning to extend Kentucky’s 1-0 lead to 3-0 as UK put up a crooked number on the board for the first time in the game.
Key Player
Erin Coffel was the key player in Sunday’s game, going 2-for-4 with four RBI and a home run, as she shattered the Kentucky Softball career home run record with the home run coming as her 62nd-career longball.
Key Stat
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Run Recap
In the top of the third inning, Lauryn Borzilleri was walked to lead off the inning and pinch runner Emory Donaldson advanced to third on a single up the middle off the bat of Ally Hutchins. An Rbi groundout by Grace Lorsung brought Kentucky its first run before a pinch-hit two-run home run by freshman Peyton Plotts pushed the Kentucky lead to three. UK 3, UNCW 0
The SeaHawks cut the gap to two in the bottom of the third inning on an RBI single up the middle with runners on second and third. UK 3, UNCW 1
Erin Coffel made it a 5-1 lead with her record-breaking 62nd-career home run to straight-away center in the top of the fifth inning as the two-run shot was launched over the wall in CF on a no-doubter. UK 5, UNCW 1
Three more were tacked on in the bottom of the sixth as Coffel drove in two more runs thanks to an opposite-field two-RBI triple, which was followed by a Lauryn Borzilleri RBI single to score Coffel and make the lead seven for the Wildcats. UK 8, UNCW 1