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The University of Kentucky softball team fell to 14-24 on the year and 1-10 in Southeastern Conference play today, Mar. 25, with a pair of losses at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs won game one by a score of 3-2 and dropped the second by a final of 5-0. MSU improves to 20-15 on the year and 2-6 in the SEC.
The Wildcats got on the board early in the first game as Brooke Marnitz tripled off the wall in right field with one out in the top of the second. She would score on a deep fly ball to center field by Katie Campbell to give UK the early one-run lead.
The Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third when two runs scored on the second triple of the game, this time by MSU?s Courtney Bures off starter Meghan Cooper.
UK knotted the score at two runs apiece in the fifth. Campbell reached on a fielder?s choice with one out. She was lifted for pinch runner Kristen Cochran who moved to second when Amber Nix was hit by a pitch for a team-high sixth time. Cochran came around to score on Alli Eckman?s single up the middle.
MSU took a 3-2 lead in the fifth, plating a run on two hits off UK pitcher Samantha Allen, including a sacrifice fly to left field. The Bulldogs stranded a pair in the inning as Allen got a groundout off the bat of Callye Williams to end the inning and leave runners at second and third.
Lori Melchi doubled to left field with two outs in the seventh but was stranded there when Eckman flew out to center to end the scoring threat and the game.
Marnitz went 2-for-3 with a run score, while Eckman turned in a 1-for-3 performance at the dish. She also drove in a run in the loss.
Allen was tagged with the loss to move to 10-10 on the year. She allowed an earned run on two hits in 2.0 innings of work. Cooper tossed 4.0 innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits while striking out three.
The Bulldogs got to game two starter Cooper early as they scored a run on a triple and a wild pitch in the home half of the first. The Wildcat defense played well in the nightcap as Lori Melchi robbed MSU?s Katie Cooley of a homerun with her catch against the left field wall in the opening inning.
MSU added a run in the second on a pair of hits. The Cats got out of the inning with no further damage as they turned their 12th double play of the season.
The Wildcat defense shined again in the fourth as Melchi made a catch in left and threw a strike to Campbell covering at the plate to save a run and end the inning.
The Bulldogs made it a five run lead as they scored three times on in the fifth on two hits off Allen who came in to toss the fifth.
Junior Amy Kendall took the mound for UK in the top of the sixth and struck out a pair of batters.
Marnitz and Eckman each went 1-for-2 with a double to extend their hitting streaks to four games. Nance and pinch hitter Jenny Sibert each singled for the Cats? other two hits.
Cooper (4-12) took the loss giving up two runs on five hits in 4.0 innings of work.
The three-game series wraps up tomorrow with the final game of the series at 2 p.m.
