No. 21 Kentucky softball (14-7) was swept by powerhouse, No. 3 LSU (22-0) during the Wildcats’ first home three-game series from Friday, March 8-10.
The Wildcats were dominated on all ends in a brutal 6-2 loss on Friday night, with runs scored in the third and sixth innings not being enough to keep up with the Tigers.
Junior Erin Coffel and fifth-year senior Rylea Smith had one run and one RBI each to keep the Cats in contention with LSU, but they were ultimately no match for LSU’s firepower.
Saturday night’s game would be much closer, as Kentucky learned from its mistakes from the first game and gave the Tigers a much harder fight. Unfortunately for the Cats, it proved not enough, as Kentucky would fall 4-3 in a heartbreaker.
After allowing two quick runs in the first inning, senior Grace Lorsung would hit a single to first base that would allow the Wildcats to keep pace with the flaming hot Tigers.
With the score still 2-1 in the bottom of the third, freshman Ally Hutchins would hit her third home run of the year, tying the game with what looked to be a huge momentum shift for Kentucky.
By the bottom of the sixth, LSU had once again regained control, leading 3-2. That’s when freshman Emory Donaldson would capitalize off of an LSU error and tie the game at three.
The Wildcats would get a runner on third base, but weren’t able to capitalize, keeping the score at 3-3 going into the last inning.
Errors plagued Kentucky this game, with a total of five through seven innings. This proved enough for LSU to hold on and win 4-3.
When asked about what changed from game one to game two, head coach Rachel Lawson praised fifth-year pitcher Jaden Vickers.
“She kept a very good hitting team off balance and she put us in a position where we could potentially win the game,” Lawson said. “Hats off to her for her first SEC start going out there competing the way she’s capable of.”
Errors also plagued Kentucky in game two, which needed to be cleaned up before game three of the series.
“I think it’s just about communication,” Lawson said. “It’s about relaxing, making sure we play our game. I think we’re getting distracted by base runners and things like that.”
The Cats looked for revenge on Sunday, but were bulldozed 8-3 in this final game of the series.
Sophomore Karissa Hamilton would hit her third home run of the season, adding two hits as well, while junior Taylor Ebbs would have two RBIs of her own.
It would not be enough to keep the Cats afloat, as despite the home run, they still trailed 8-3 by the top of the seventh due to allowing six runs in the previous inning.
Kentucky’s next home game will be against South Dakota State on Thursday, March 14, at 6 p.m. ET.
