Freshman pitcher Hailey Nutter delivered a no-hitter in her first career start for the Kentucky Wildcats, leading the team to a 7-0 victory over Loyola-Chicago on Saturday during day two of the SDSU Season Kickoff in San Diego. Nutter struck out 14 batters and allowed only one base runner, who reached on an error before being erased by a double play. This performance marked the 23rd no-hitter in Kentucky softball history and was the most strikeouts by a UK pitcher in a single game since 2024.
Kentucky’s offense was led by Peyton Plotts, who drove in five runs, including two home runs and a two-run double. The Wildcats added four runs in the seventh inning, helped by three Loyola-Chicago errors.
In their second game of the day, Kentucky fell to San Diego State 4-3 after giving up a walk-off run in the bottom of the seventh inning. McKenzie Oslanzi started for Kentucky, pitching five innings with one earned run and five strikeouts. Sarah Haendiges took the loss after allowing two walks and recording one strikeout.
Kentucky now holds a 3-1 record this season and will finish its opening weekend against Minnesota on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET. Fans can follow live stats at UKathletics.com.
Rachel Lawson, head coach of Kentucky Wildcats Women’s Softball, commented on Nutter’s achievement: “Hailey Nutter was the key player in the game, throwing a complete-game no-hitter in her first-career start for Kentucky.”
For updates on UK Softball, fans are encouraged to follow @UKSoftball on Twitter and Instagram.
