Kentucky softball (22-17, 1-12 SEC) dropped game one of its weekend series against No. 3 Oklahoma (36-3, 9-1 SEC) by a score of 10-2 in a five inning run-rule. The win marks the Sooners’ 27th run rule win of the season.
Even through the rough game, the top of the lineup shined against Oklahoma ace Audrey Lowry.
Carly Sleeman, Allie Blum, Maddy Clark and Karissa Hamilton combined for all of the offensive production for the Cats. The four went a combined 6-11 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
Sleeman led off for the Cats for the ninth consecutive game and opened the game with a single through the right side of the infield.
Blum followed Sleeman with a single of her own in the first. Clark dropped a sacrifice bunt down to move the runners and Hamilton knocked a bouncer off the glove of Lowry that got through the infield to score both runners.
The bottom of the Kentucky order failed to record a hit all game and only had two reach base. Reaghan Oney reached on an error in the fourth and Emory Donaldson walked in the fifth. The bottom five in the lineup went a combined 0-9 with two strikeouts.
Sleeman singled again in the third and finished 2-3 with a run scored. She elevated her batting average to a team leading .382. Blum also went 2-3 on the night, elevating her batting average to .378, good enough for second on the team.
After the sacrifice bunt by Clark in her first at-bat, she poked a hard hit grounder past the second baseman in the fifth inning, breaking her slump of 13 straight at-bats without a hit. She is still on a 3-28 slide, however.
Hamilton’s two RBIs in the first raised her RBI total to 41, the most on the team. Her hit in the first inning was her only of the game, going 1-3 and leaving four on base in the process.
As good as the Cats top of the lineup was, the same cannot be said for the pitching staff. Abby Hammond only made it through 2.2 innings, giving up eight runs on six hits and five walks. McKenzie Oslanzi came in after Hammond and continued with the free passes, issuing two walks and allowing two runs in her 1.1 innings of work.
Although the top of the Kentucky order saw some success early, the top of Oklahoma’s lineup outplayed the Cats.
The top four in the Sooners’ lineup went a combined 7-10 with eight RBIs and five runs scored, including a 3-3 day from leadoff hitter Kai Minor, who had three RBIs and three runs scored.
Kendall Wells also had a good day for the Sooners, going 2-2 with a home run and two walks. The home run marked Wells’ 28th homer of the year, an SEC record.
The Cats have now dropped 12 consecutive conference games, the longest conference losing streak by the program since the team lost 14 straight in Rachel Lawson’s first year as head coach in 2008.
