LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Another game, another decisive grand slam for the suddenly-slugging Kentucky Wildcats.
Senior catcher Rachael Metzger came off the UK bench to hit a pinch-hit grand slam Saturday night at John Cropp Stadium that helped power the Cats to a 10-0 win over Notre Dame and into the championship bracket of the NCAA Lexington Regional.
"It kind of blurred by," Metzger said of her triumphant moment. “I know Coach (Rachel) Lawson told me going into the box to watch and shoot for a SAC fly. That is my job and my role on the team -- that is all I was hoping for -- then it went over (the fence) and I was like ‘Oh my gosh.’"
The homer was Metzger’s second of the season and was part of a six-hit, six-run big blue avalanche in the top of the fourth inning. Earlier in the day, UK's Jenny Schaper hit a grand slam in the Cats' 10-1 win over Illinois-Chicago.
Kentucky (33-19) pounded out 10 hits as a team and were led on offense by the stellar hitting of junior Abbey Cheek and freshman Mallory Peyton. Cheek went 2-of-3 with a double, three RBI (she now has 50 on the year) and had two of Kentucky’s five stolen bases.
Peyton finished 3-of-3 with an RBI and continued her torrid postseason tear. The Madisonville, Ky., native is hitting .833 in her first NCAA tourney and has driven in four runs.
“I’ve been saying it all year, and she has had moments of it, but I’ve known that she is somebody who loves this stage,” Lawson said of the underclassman breakout performance.
Kentucky sent out freshman ace Grace Baalman for her second career postseason start. The right-hander needed just 58 pitches (26 of which came in the opening inning) to sail through five shutout innings. She allowed only two hits and struck out a batter while walking none.
“She kept us off balance...she did a good job jamming us early and mixed her change up really well,” said Notre Dame coach Deanna Gumpf.
The Cats were held silent during their first two turns at bat before they broke through courtesy of Cheek's two-out, two-RBI double off the top of the right field wall in the top of the third.
Run-scoring singles from Cheek and Alex Martens scored the other two runs during the fourth-inning rally.
Peyton and Erin Rethlake drove in the Cats final two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning via a single and a groundout, respectively.
Notre Dame (33-22) countered with their freshman hurler Alexis Holloway (21-14). However, the Cats chased her from the circle after only 3.1 innings. Holloway gave up six runs on five hits. She also walked three batters while striking out just two.
The victory advances Kentucky to the 2:30 P.M. championship round on Sunday where they will face the winner of a second matchup between Michigan and Notre Dame. The winner of that game will need two wins of UK in the double-elimination format.
