Kentucky Softball splits Saturday doubleheader vs. South Carolina
The final series of the regular season is underway for No. 15 Kentucky Softball. With Friday’s opener against South Carolina suspended by weather, the result was decided as part of a doubleheader on Saturday. The Wildcats’ comeback in that one fell short, but they rebounded with an easy 11-1 victory in Game 2. Let’s break it down.
Kentucky falls 6-4 in suspended finish
When Friday’s game was interrupted by heavy rainfall, UK trailed 5-2 with one out in the fifth inning. The game resumed around 12:30 Saturday afternoon. Miranda Stoddard eventually stepped to the plate with a chance to even the score with one swing. Unfortunately, of the five swings she took, none landed in fair territory. She ended up striking out, and the ‘Cats would ultimately strand two runners.
In the bottom of the fifth, Stoddard took over on the mound and set the Gamecocks down without much trouble. But they got to her in the sixth on a solo homer by DP Hannah Kumiyama, making it 6-2. It was the third RBI on the night for Kumiyama, as she had driven in two with a single before the delay.
Kentucky did manage to cut the final deficit in half thanks to a two-run homer by Lauren Johnson in the seventh, but that was all they’d get. Stephanie Schoonover took the loss after she was charged with five runs in the decisive fourth inning.
The win was the first for South Carolina (26-27; 3-19 in SEC play) in nearly two months, dating back to an extra-inning win over Auburn back in March. UK fell to 33-16 (11-11 SEC) with the loss.
‘Cats bounce back, win 11-1 in Game 2
Thankfully, UK had a chance to redeem themselves scheduled within the hour. Senior Tatum Spangler took the ball, hoping to build on her strong performance against Mississippi State last Friday. She did just that, cruising through the first three innings scoreless.
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Meanwhile, the ‘Cats made up for lost time quickly on offense, scoring once in the second and adding four more in the third. Renee Abernathy broke the game open with one rip:
Kentucky scored another run in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk, making it 6-0. The Gamecocks got on the board in the bottom of the inning as Spangler got a little wild, walking three straight and allowing an RBI groundout. But she escaped any further damage and recovered to pitch the rest of the game without giving up another run.
To put a bow on it, the ‘Cats tacked on a two-run home run by Emmy Blane in the eighth and a three-run shot by Spangler in the seventh, her first of the season. The left-hander also picked up the complete-game victory on the mound, her ninth.
Kentucky (34-16, 12-11) resurfaced above .500 in league play with the win, now tied with Georgia for seventh place. They’ll lock up their seed in next week’s SEC tournament with the regular-season finale on Sunday, with first pitch at noon in Columbia.
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