LEXINGTON, Ky. ? Despite two-run home runs from the bats of both sophomore Molly Johnson and freshman Meagan Aull, the University of Kentucky softball team dropped a doubleheader to No. 12 LSU at the UK Softball Complex Wednesday night.
Johnson belted her two-run dinger in the first game to give UK an early 2-1 lead, and Aull came through with a two-run shot of her own to also give the Blue and White a 2-1 advantage in game two. Kentucky (15-24, 3-13) would go on to fall 13-2 in game one, and 5-2 in game two.
To open up play, Kentucky played the top-15 ranked Tigers extremely tight. The Wildcats? outstanding defense led by a couple of spectacular catches by Aull in center field and Johnson at shortstop, the visitors were held off the board until the third inning. LSU?s Rachel Mitchell opened the scoring with a solo home run to give LSU an early 1-0 lead.
Kentucky wasted little time in its response thanks to Johnson?s sixth round tripper of the season. Sophomore Natalie Smith tacked on a single to put a runner on base and Johnson brought her home with a shot over the left center fence to give UK a 2-1 lead.
LSU knotted the score at two-a-piece with a run in the top half of the fifth. Dee Dee Henderson tallied a triple and was brought home on the Tigers? 15th sacrifice fly of the season. The Tigers opened the scoring with an 11-run sixth inning to pull away for the game-one win.
Sophomore Amber Matousek took the loss in the circle, but did achieve a remarkable achievement in the defeat. Matousek?s two strikeouts in the game gave her sole possession of third place on UK?s all-time top-10 list for strikeouts in a career in just her second season. Matousek has now fanned 138 career batters, including 95 this season.
In the nightcap, LSU once again took an early 1-0 lead thanks to a home run off the bat of Quinian Duhon in the top of the second frame.
Kentucky would plate its two scores in the bottom of the third. Sophomore Destinee Mordecai reached base on her team-leading 17th walk of the season setting the stage for Aull. The former Miss Kentucky softball as a high school player just a season ago sent her second career collegiate homer to deep right-center field giving Kentucky a 2-1 edge.
LSU responded with a three-run fourth inning. Two Tigers registered singles and were brought home on a three-run home run giving the ranked opponents a 4-2 lead it would never relinquish. LSU tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh bringing the score to its final margin, 5-2.
The Wildcats will return to the diamond this weekend when they host a three-game series against Arkansas. The two teams will play a doubleheader Saturday, with a single game slated for Sunday. First pitch will be thrown at 1 p.m. both days. Live stats and complete coverage of the games this weekend can be found at www.ukathletics.com.
