Kentucky Softball falls 6-2 to Mississippi State on Senior Day

twynstagram

Super-Senior Lauren Johnson — Photo via UK Athletics

For the second consecutive Saturday, 14th-ranked Kentucky Softball (32-15, 10-10 SEC) was unable to deliver a W for its home fans at John Cropp Stadium. After winning the opener vs. Mississippi State on Friday, the ‘Cats dropped Game 2 by a 6-2 score.

The series finale is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, as UK will try to salvage the series in their final home game of the year.

Rubber match tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/r8o7X6JnkX
— Kentucky Softball (@UKsoftball) April 30, 2022

Kentucky seniors honored in pre-game ceremony

Before the game itself, several players were honored for their contributions to UK athletics. Renee Abernathy, Jaci Babbs, Tatum Spangler, Emma Boitnott and Lauren Johnson all went through the traditional Senior Day festivities before taking the field. It was the second ceremony for Johnson, who was a senior in 2021 as well but opted to come back for a fifth season using her bonus eligibility.

A full crowd showed up to the park early, before freshman Alexia Lacatena took the mound:

Great crowd at John Cropp for @UKsoftball senior day today! pic.twitter.com/M1oKPcd1IU
— Wynn McDonald (@twynstagram) April 30, 2022

Unfortunately, the Bulldogs had Lacatena’s number early. She escaped a jam in the first, but Mississippi State broke through in the second on a RBI hit. They tacked on another run on a throwing error by Kayla Kowalik, making it 2-0.

Meanwhile, MSU starter Annie Wilson held the ‘Cats to just one hit in the first three innings. They had a chance to do damage in the fourth, but Wilson struck out Rylea Smith with the bases loaded to end the threat. Then in the top of the fifth, junior Matalasi Faapito took Miranda Stoddard deep, making it 3-0.

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Kentucky got a pair of runs back in the bottom half, as Abernathy came through with a two-RBI single to pull within one. However, Mississippi State responded with three more runs off Stoddard in the sixth to effectively put the game away.

Lacatena took the loss, just her second of the year. Stoddard led the ‘Cats with two hits at the plate, while Johnson walked and scored a run on her big day.

UK dropped to an even .500 in SEC play with the loss, good for eighth place in the conference. But they’ll have a good chance to improve that figure after Sunday’s wrap-up, with a series at South Carolina (2-18 SEC) coming up next weekend.