Amber Janneck acted as hero for the second time this season, hitting a two-run walk-off home run to lift the Kentucky softball team over visiting Mississippi State, 4-3, Saturday at the UK Softball Complex. The round-tripper was the freshman?s eighth of the year and her second game-winning homer of the season.
The Bulldogs (21-18, 3-11 Southeastern Conference) tacked on one run in the first and second innings in the second game of the doubleheader on two errors from the Kentucky defense. In the first, Iyhia McMichael led off the game with a single, stole second base, and rounded third on UK?s first miscue. Kate Jaspers, the second batter of the game, then reached on a fielder?s choice that brought in McMichael for a 1-0 advantage. In the second frame, Meagan O?Nan gave MSU a 2-0 lead after McMichael singled and the ball was misjudged in center field.
The Cats (16-17-1, 4-13 SEC) countered with one in the third, as Meghan Cooper tripled to right field and Janneck recorded her first RBI of the day with a base hit. UK tied the game two innings later on an RBI double from Cooper, but McMichael came home for the second time in the top of the seventh to put MSU up 3-2, setting the stage for Janneck?s game-winning homer.
Janneck finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run, adding to her earlier 2-for-4 performance in game one. With a single, double, and triple, Cooper was one home run away from hitting for the cycle in her 3-for-4 game two stat line.
Amy Kendall recorded her sixth win of the season with the victory, as she gave up only two earned runs in the complete game win.
The MSU bats came alive in the first game of the doubleheader, as the Bulldogs pounded out 15 hits en route to an 8-2 victory. MSU attacked early and scored in all but three innings of the contest. Jennifer Waterman accounted for five of the eight runs in the game with a three-run homer in the fourth and a two-run shot in the sixth.
Kentucky?s lone two runs came in the third inning on consecutive base hits from Rachel Friberg, Janneck and Brooke Marnitz. UK managed to get nine hits off MSU, but never serisously threatened after the third frame.
The series between the SEC foes continues Sunday with the decisive third and final game, which is slated for 1 p.m.
