April 6, 2002
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky pitching staff surrendered just two earned runs while the offense exploded for 16 runs over two games as the Wildcats downed Mississippi State, 6-4 and 10-3, in Southeastern Conference softball action at the UK Softball Complex on Saturday, April 6. The doubleheader sweep evens the Cats’ overall record at 18-18 (3-8 SEC) while the Bulldogs fall to 23-19, 5-8 SEC. The win also snapped a seven-game, SEC losing streak for UK.
“I was thrilled with the attack mentality that we were in all day today,” UK Coach Beth Kirchner said. “Our pitchers did a great job mixing things up.”
Junior Morgan Marr earned the game one victory as she scattered six hits over seven innings of work, allowing just one earned run to up her record to 4-6. Freshman Meghan Cooper (8-7) was the victor in the second game as she too allowed just six hits over seven innings and one earned run. MSU’s Jennifer Nelson (2-1) was saddled with the game one loss while Melissa Massey (4-10) suffered the loss in game two.
The Bulldogs started things off with a run in the first inning of game one, but the Cats answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the ining. Singles by senior Sandi Dengler and junior Nikki Jones led off the game for UK and were followed by junior Lyndsey Angus’ two-RBI double to left-center field, knocking Nelson out of the game after just three hitters. Angus then came home on sophomore Rachel Friberg’s single to center, staking UK to the early 3-1 advantage.
Freshman Brook Bowman brought home the Cats’ fourth run of the day as she led off the second with a single to right-center field, stole second, and came home as MSU catcher Amy Mosley’s attempt to throw her out at second went into the outfield.
The Bulldogs got two back in the top of the third, only to have the Wildcats answer with two of their own in their half of the third to take a 6-3 lead. Senior Angie Dal Pozzo and Friberg each singled and came home on senior Jennifer Howland’s single to left field for UK’s two runs.
Game two started as a nip-and-tuck sort of game as neither team could separate itself from the other for the first three-and-a-half innings. UK scored one in the first on senior Andy Eilertson’s RBI single, which scored Angus from second. However, no one else would find their way home until MSU crossed the plate twice in the top of the third to hold a precarious 2-1 lead, one it would hold onto until the bottom of the fourth.
Eilertson led off the fourth with a single and came home on Cooper’s first career triple, a shot to the right-center field fence. Cooper then came home on Bowman’s groundout to the shortstop as the Cats regained the lead, 3-2.
The Bulldogs would not go away, however, as Kellie Wilkerson, who stroked a one-out double to left in the top of the fifth, came home on a Friberg fielding error to knot the game at 3-3.
But once again, the Cats’ bats responded, this time sending eight hitters to the plate with four making their way around the bases for a 7-3 lead. Singles by Jones and Angus to lead off the inning were followed by a Dal Pozzo walk, loading the bases for Eilertson, who grounded out to short, but pushed a run across in the process. Friberg then reached on a fielder’s choice sacrifice, but the MSU pitchers’ throw home was late, allowing Angus to score safely and ultimately getting Dal Pozzo home and Friberg to second as the Bulldogs threw the ball across the infield twice on the play. Freshman Jessica Nance wrapped up the scoring for the Cats in the inning with and RBI single to right that scored Friberg.
UK added three runs in the bottom of the sixth, highlighted by Friberg’s line-drive, two-RBI double off the fence in left-center field to cap the scoring.
Jones finished the afternoon 4-for-8 with three runs scored while Friberg was 3-for5 with four RBI and two runs scored. Angus also had a big day in the batter’s box, going 3-for-6 with a double, two RBI and four runs scored.
The doubleheader sweep assures the Wildcats of their first SEC-series victory since they took two out of three from Auburn on April 28 and 29, 2001. UK has never had a three-game conference sweep, but did win all four over Tennessee on May 2 and 3 two years ago.
The two teams will hook-up for the final time of the regular season on Sunday, April 7 at the UK Softball Complex. Game time is set for 1 p.m. ET. The game can be followed live on the Internet at www.UKathletics.com
Game OneMiss. State1020001-4 6 2Kentucky 312000X-6 12 4WP: Marr (4-6). LLP: Nelson (2-1). S: none.
Game TwoMiss. State0020100- 3 6 0Kentucky 100243X-10 9 4WP: Cooper (8-7). LP: Massey (4-10). S: none.
-UK-
