Renee Abernathy comes through again as UK Softball walks off Auburn

For the second time in three days, the softball ‘Cats are walk-off winners. And once again, they have none other than Renee Abernathy to thank. Sunday’s series-wrapping recap is a fun one, so let’s get right to it.

Abernathy homer clinches comeback win, series vs. Auburn

In a conference where eight teams are jockeying for position in the Top 25, series wins are hard to come by. The eighth-ranked UK Softball team collected their first of the year in dramatic fashion on Sunday. All it took was a few timely hits, resilient pitching, and two walk-off bombs in three days from Renee Abernathy. Really, what more could you ask for?

Initially, the rubber matchup of this weekend’s back-and-forth series looked like a re-run of Saturday’s game — a 6-3 victory for No. 18 Auburn bolstered by early offense. The Tigers jumped ahead 3-0 on a trio of solo homers off UK starter Miranda Stoddard. But the junior power-thrower was able to limit any damage outside of the longball, keeping the ‘Cats in the ballgame.

After being shut down by AU starter Shelby Lowe in the early going, the Big Blue bats finally sprang to life in the fourth inning. Erin Coffel got them on the board with a towering home run down the left field line, cutting the deficit to two runs. Then UK got a pair of runners in scoring position with a single, error and sac bunt; but Lowe recovered, striking out the next to batters to escape the inning.

Auburn added an insurance run in the sixth, stringing together a double and a single against junior Sloan Gayan, who came in for Stoddard in relief. That gave the Tigers a formidable 4-1 lead entering the final inning, but the ‘Cats weren’t licked yet.

Senior Lauren Johnson began the seventh with a double off Lowe, who was gunning for Auburn’s second complete game in as many days. Kayla Kowalik followed with a grounder that was miffed by the second baseman, allowing Johnson to score. With the heart of the Wildcat lineup coming up, Auburn coach Mickey Dean made the move to his bullpen. He brought in sophomore Maddie Penta, who flummoxed the ‘Cats over seven frames on Saturday.

The first batter she faced was Coffel, who stepped to plate with one out and Kowalik on second. She sliced a single into left, bringing Abernathy to the plate with runners on the corners. Once again, she knew just what to do.

She’s a flamin’ hot Cheeto this week, folks! 🔥🔥🔥

⁦@renee_a4⁩ x #BeTheStandard pic.twitter.com/yPcKeuyyAs

— Kentucky Softball (@UKsoftball) March 27, 2022

Abernathy’s walk-off shot to right gave the ‘Cats an improbable 5-4 victory and a massive series win in their pocket. It was Abernathy’s fifth hit of the series, three of which left the yard — and it gave her a remarkable 11 RBIs in the series. The big-bopping outfielder has homered in four straight games now, with a team-leading eight on the season.

Coffel went 3-4 at the plate with her eighth longball of the year, matching Abernathy. The win went to Gayan, who pitched 2.1 innings in relief with just one run allowed. The loss went to Penta, as the ‘Cats were able to fully avenge Saturday’s loss in the process.

Kentucky’s next game comes on Tuesday, as they welcome the Buckeyes of Ohio State to John Cropp Stadium at 6 p.m. They’ll follow that up with another big series next weekend at LSU. See you then!