No. 23 Kentucky softball won its series against Auburn, clinching the victory in two out of the three games from Saturday, April 20-22.
The first game of the series started off slow in Auburn, Alabama, faced with rain and lightning delays.
Up until freshman Peyton Plotts hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the top of the fifth inning, Kentucky stayed behind 2-0 throughout four innings and two full weather delays that lasted 90 minutes in total. Her hit proved to be a key play of the game.
Junior Taylor Ebbs added some insurance to the game score by hitting a two-run homer to left-center in the top of the seventh inning.
Kentucky’s starting pitcher, Stephanie Schoonover, gave up no hits up to the third rain delay after pitching 3.2 innings.
Jaden Vickers proved to be the star player for the Cats after closing out the game with 3.1 innings pitched, while only allowing one hit and no runs.
The Tigers only scored twice and both scores came from the bottom of the third in two unearned runs due to throwing errors on Kentucky’s behalf.
The Wildcats’ first game of the series ended in a 5-2 win.
The following day, the Wildcats came in on their winner-high and swept once again with a 2-1 win.
The key player of this game was freshman Sydney Langdon, who went seven innings and allowed just one run on only two hits, with two walks and five strikeouts.
Langdon carried the game right into the sixth inning up until she let a lead-off homer through, but leveraged one of her five strikeouts to end that inning.
Kentucky’s two runs came on its first hit of the game, delivered by catcher Karissa Hamilton. She smashed a two-RBI single up the middle in the top of the fourth inning, scoring Delani Sullivan and Grace Lorsung with two outs.
In the final game of the series, Kentucky suffered a 4-1 loss against the Auburn Tigers, effectively ending the Cats’ four-game win streak.
The game started off promising for the Wildcats, with a 1-0 early lead thanks to a solo home run in the top of the first inning from Erin Coffel.
This run would be the only one of the night for Kentucky. It had the bases loaded at the top of the sixth, but after a strikeout and flyout, the Cats could not run home.
Auburn tied the game at the bottom of the second inning on a solo home run. The Tigers proved themselves after four more runs to win the game.
Up until the Wildcats’ loss to Auburn in the third game of the series, Kentucky had won four straight games, which was the team’s longest winning streak since early March. These wins include three straight SEC games.
The Wildcats will return home on Friday, April 26, to start in another three-game series against South Carolina, beginning at 6:30 pm ET at John Cropp Stadium.
