March 14, 2010
AUBURN, Ala. – Home runs by seniors Destinee Mordecai and Molly Johnson propelled the Kentucky softball team to a 5-3 win over Auburn, forcing a series-deciding rubber match. Mordceai’s three-run blast was the first of the season for the right fielder, while Johnson smacked her team-best seventh of the year.
Kentucky (15-7, 1-1) and Auburn (14-7, 1-1) will meet at 3:40 p.m. ET in the decisive series game.
Sophomore pitcher Chanda Bell claimed the win in the circle after tossing four innings of relief. Bell picks up her ninth win of the season while striking out four batters. Senior Amber Matousek was a consistent force as a starter throwing three innings and yielding just one earned run while fanning four Tiger batters.
The Wildcats struck for a run in the top half of the second inning to open the scoring. Meagan Aull and Kara Dill registered back-to-back one-out singles. The duo each charted a stolen base to place both runners in scoring position. Aull would come home for the first score of the game when Auburn’s catcher could not corral a pitch and UK’s speedy centerfielder used the opportunity to tap home for a 1-0 edge.
Auburn quickly knotted the score at one apiece with a solo home run in the bottom half of the stanza. Johnson saved another hit in the inning with a spectacular snag when she skied high to snatch a line drive heading into left-center.
UK recaptured the lead in the top of the fourth frame. Rachel Riley led off the inning with a single into right field to place a runner aboard. Aull was then plucked with a pitch to place two runners on base. With two outs Mordecai picked a prime opportunity to hit her first home run of the season when she blasted a 2-2 pitch over the left field wall to give UK a 4-1 advantage.
The Tigers inched closer in the bottom of the fourth by plating two runs to make the score 4-3 in favor of the Wildcats. Auburn placed two runners on base with a lead-off walk and an infield single. Both runs came home on a wild play where UK attempted to get the lead runner at third and the ball sailed into the back corner in left field. Bell entered in relief with a runner on base and no outs, and she calmly sat down the next three batters to end the threat.
Kentucky added a run in the top of the seventh when Johnson blasted her seventh home run of the season over the left-center field wall and the 25-foot scoreboard to make the final score 5-3 in favor of the Blue and White.
Live stats and complete coverage of the UK softball team in Auburn can be found at UKathletics.com.
