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Kentucky Softball Drops Weekend Series 2-1 Against Auburn

IMG_2240by:Eleanor Beavin•04/05/25
Kentucky Softball - Morgan Simmons, UK Athletics
Kentucky Softball - Morgan Simmons, UK Athletics

It was a gloomy weekend all around in Lexington as Kentucky softball lost its series against the Auburn Tigers. The Wildcats had to play all three games within 24 hours due to the weather, only able to come away with one win at John Cropp Stadium.

Opening Night Doubleheader

With tons of rain in Lexington this week, Kentucky softball was faced with an unusual doubleheader on Friday night against Auburn. The team was scheduled to play at 4 p.m. EST with the second game to follow, much earlier than originally planned.

Both teams were ready to go, but another pocket of rain caused a 45-minute delay. Finally, at 4:45 p.m., Kentucky and Auburn began their first of the three-game series.

Whether it was the rainy field or the delayed start, Kentucky did not have a good outing in the first game of the doubleheader. It was a tough way to start the series, losing 2-1 to the last-place team in the SEC. Auburn had not won a single game in conference play up until this moment, previously 0-12.

Peyton Plotts got the Wildcats started off on a high note, hitting her seventh home run of the year in the second inning and putting Kentucky up 1-0. Plotts is now tied for the most home runs on the team.

After her solo bomb, nothing else went Kentucky’s way. Auburn tied the game with their own solo home run in the fourth. The Tigers went on to grab the lead 2-1 in the top of the seventh, forcing Kentucky to respond.

Kentucky could not come up with anything and lost the first game of the series.

Cats Battle Back

With Kentucky really needing a series win, especially with the opportunity to play one of the only unranked teams in the SEC, the ‘Cats battled back to win the second game of the night 4-3. Lauren Borzilleri came up huge in this game, bringing in three of the four runs for Kentucky.

The Wildcats came out hot from the jump in this one, getting on the scoreboard in the very first inning. It was Hallie Mitchell who drove a ball through the center of the field to score her teammate.

But the player of the game for Kentucky was Borzilleri. Auburn scored three runs in the fifth inning to overtake the lead and Kentucky needed someone to step up.

With opportunities running out for the ‘Cats, Borzilleri stepped into the batter’s box with two runners on and two outs in the sixth. What initially looked like a routine pop fly turned into a 2 RBI triple as the wind slung the ball away from the right fielder for Auburn.

Kentucky retook the lead 4-3 and only needed three more outs to even the series. It was all Sarah Haendiges in the seventh inning. She single-handedly retired all three batters for Auburn to give Kentucky the win, totaling her strikeout count to six in only 2.2 innings of relief work.

Kentucky Falls To Auburn

In the series finale on Saturday afternoon, Kentucky fell 2-1 once again to lose the series against Auburn. The Wildcats just could not get their bats going the entire series.

Emory Donaldson earned the only run in this game for the ‘Cats. With a runner on third base, Donaldson produced a sac-fly RBI and Kentucky took an early lead.

Auburn battled back in this game and took the lead back in the fifth inning. The run to take the lead came from a Kentucky fielding error which has been a major struggle for this team.

The Wildcats are currently last in the SEC in fielding percentage with the most errors. That combined with a struggling offense does not bode well.

Kentucky could not find a way back into this game and dropped the series. The Wildcats now sit on a 23-17 record with a 6-9 mark in the SEC. Only three more SEC series remain on the regular season schedule.

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2025-04-07