Kentucky softball (17-6, 3-0 SEC) hosted Missouri (11-13,0-3 SEC) for a three-game series on the Weekend of March 7. The Wildcats swept the series with victories of 6-4, 5-4 and 9-6.
This was just the second time since 2014, Kentucky softball held its home opener against an SEC opponent.
The sweep gives Kentucky a 3-0 conference record, which is the fifth time since 2014 that Kentucky has started 3-0 in conference play. It’s just the second time since 2019 that Kentucky swept its first home series of the season.
This 3-0 start places Kentucky in a tie with Oklahoma atop the SEC standings. The Sooners are a fresh addition to the SEC and have won four consecutive national championships.
“Wins are so hard to come by in this league,” Head Coach Rachel Lawson said. “Anytime you can just win in general, it’s great.”
Kentucky and Missouri entered the series with a 13-13 tie in the all-time matchup. Kentucky has now taken a lead of 16-13.
The Wildcats and Tigers had very similar offensive outputs across the series. Kentucky had 25 hits on the weekend while Missouri had 24.
What made the difference for Kentucky was situational hitting and pitching. Kentucky only left 18 runners on base during the series and stranded 29 Missouri runners.
With all games ending within three runs, being able to bring runners across while preventing opposing runners from scoring is a huge difference-maker.
“I had some players that were absolutely exceptional this weekend,” Lawson said. “But overall, our entire team stepped up.”
Three Wildcats in particular stepped up in a big way to help pull off the sweep, two hitters and a pitcher.
Sarah Haendiges pitched in relief in all three games, being credited for the save in two of them.
Haendiges totaled five scoreless innings across the three appearances, she struck out five batters and only allowed two hits.
“She knows what to do… how to change speed, she knows how to go for the kill,” Lawson said. “She’s just a really, really good pitcher.”
Haendiges has been unbelievable in the circle this season, leading the team in saves and appearances.
Her three saves rank second in the SEC and she makes up all but one save for Kentucky this season.
She has tallied 29 innings this season with a team-leading 1.45 ERA and 0.93 WHIP, with opposing hitters batting just .156 which also leads the team.
Her 9.9 strikeouts per seven innings ranks 23rd in the nation and her .156 batting average against is tied for 14th in the country.
While Haendiges had an excellent weekend in the circle, two Kentucky hitters carried the load offensively.
Lauryn Borzilleri and Cassie Reasner combined to hit 14/20 for the series, adding 11 RBIs and four runs to provide 15 of the team’s 20 runs.
Reasner led the way by hitting 6/9 with 17 total bases across three games. She also drove in 10 runs to double her season RBI total and scored four runs of her own.
Reasner hit a home run in all three games, bringing her team-leading season total to six. There are only three other Wildcats with at least three this season.
She was in the midst of a cold streak heading into the series. She hit 2/14 in her last five games, which forced her batting average to drop just below .300. Her dominant weekend allowed a raise of .05, resulting in a batting average of .349 which ranks fifth on the team.
Reasner has provided value on the base paths this season as well, she has three steals on the season which ties for second on the team.
This stretch earned Reasner a spot on the Softball America Stars of the Week list, she was one of five players to make the list. This honor was more than deserved as Reasner was undoubtedly one of, if not the best hitters in the nation last week.
Reasner was named as the National Player of the Week by D1Softball, she also earned the nod for SEC player of the week.
Borzilleri also had a stellar series, but her at-bats were more inopportune than Reasner.
Borzilleri finished the series 8/11 with two doubles and two three-hit games.
She only scored one run and had no runs batted in; this can hardly be pinned on her as it’s mostly out of her control.
She also had some early season struggles, entering the series with a .244 batting average. Borzilleri now has a .333 batting average, bringing her to sixth on the team.
Borzilleri has made an impact away from the plate as well, she has started at first base in every game this season.
Her .984 fielding percentage is the highest for any infielder with at least 20 games played, and second highest for all players with at least 20 games played.
Borzilleri has had a team-high 129 chances to record an out this season, 45 more than the player in second, which makes her fielding percentage even more impressive.
Kentucky will be back at John Cropp Stadium for its next game. The Wildcats face off against Virginia Tech on Wednesday, March 12, with a 5 p.m. first pitch. The game will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
