Kentucky Softball wins final home series of season

The No. 11 Kentucky Softball team has officially closed their 2022 home season after a 9-5 win over Mississippi State on Sunday afternoon.

The series was tied heading into the day, but the Wildcats were able to grind out a rubber match win and take the series in the end. Kentucky celebrated their seniors on Saturday, but couldn’t win the game. That made today’s game all the more important.

‘Cats outlast Bulldog comeback attempt

The Bulldogs took the lead first thanks to a two-out double by Brylie St. Clair. But it didn’t last long. Emmy Blane hit a double of her own in the Wildcat half of the inning, knotting things up at 1-1. Taylor Ebbs hit a three-RBI homer to right center minutes later, extending the lead to 4-1. A fly out from Coffel and single from Miranda Stoddard helped push two more through before the inning ended, making it 6-1 UK.

The ‘Cats continued their offensive dominance in the third and fourth, where they added three more to the scoreboard. Meeko Harrison topped things off with a two-RBI homer to right field that made it 9-1.

That’s where the scoring would stop for the ‘Cats, though. Mississippi State pushed back in the next several innings, starting with a long shot to left field from grad student Montana Davidson in the fifth. A fielding error by the Wildcat defense allowed another Bulldog run to cross home before the inning ended. Mississippi State would score one more time before the game ended, leaving the final score at 9-5.

In other good news, star catcher Kayla Kowalik and pitcher Kennedy Sullivan both plan on staying with the Wildcats for their extra year. Kowalik leads the team with 61 hits on the season.

https://t.co/H0GGVJTuaR pic.twitter.com/uCOgdsyQLK

— kayla kowalik (@kswaggyyyy) April 29, 2022

The ‘Cats will travel to Colombia next for their final series of the regular season. First pitch for Friday’s game is scheduled for 6 p.m. The SEC tournament is set to begin Tuesday, May 10.