AUBURN, Ala. ? The University of Kentucky softball team dropped a pair of games today, Mar. 11, at No. 20 Auburn to fall to 12-8 on the year and 0-2 in the Southeastern Conference. Auburn took game one by a final score of 2-1 and won the second game 3-0 to sweep the doubleheader.
The Tigers got on the board with a leadoff home run by Kristina McCain to take the early 1-0 lead. UK starter Amy Kendall struck out the next batter and got a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of cleanup hitter Sara Ghezzi to end the inning.
Auburn made it a 2-0 lead with a pair of back-to-back doubles in the third. The Wildcat defense turned its second double play of the game to end the AU rally.
Brooke Marnitz doubled to right center to lead off the fourth and break up the Auburn no-hitter. She moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Megan Miller and scored on a wild pitch to cut the Auburn lead to 2-1.
Kendall retired 10 straight batters and did not allow a Tiger to reach base after the RBI double in the third inning. She struck out four batters on the day, giving her a team-leading 52 for the season.
Ashley Fertic went to second on a one-out error in the seventh. The junior was stranded at second as reliever Holly Currie came in and struck out the side to end the Kentucky threat and the game.
Kendall took the loss and falls to 5-3 on the year after giving up two runs on six hits in 6.0 innings of work. She did not walk a batter.
The Cats had just three hits in the series opener. Marnitz hit her sixth double of the season, while Miller and Ali Ray each singled in the loss. With the loss, the Cats fall to 3-7 all-time in SEC openers.
In the nightcap, Auburn plated two runs on two hits in the fourth to break up a scoreless tie and take a 2-0 lead.
The Wildcats threatened in the top of the fifth but stranded a pair of runners for the second straight inning.
The Tigers added a run in the home half of the fifth on two hits and two UK errors, which snapped a four-game errorless streak by the Wildcat defense.
The Wildcats, who had collected 11 or more hits in four of its last five games, were held to just two hits in the final game of the day. Katie Campbell was 1-for-3 with a double, while Ray went 1-for-3 with a single as the Cats were out-hit by a margin of 10 to two.
Jessica Trueblood got the loss to even her record at 4-4 on the year. The freshman hurler allowed three runs on 10 hits in 5.0 innings of work. She struck out three, but walked three and had four wild pitches. Kendall tossed an inning of no-hit relief. She struck out two and walked one but did not allow a run as she stranded three Tiger baserunners to end the fifth.
?Amy Kendall pitched well today after a shaky start, but we have to get some hits if we?re going to win games in the Southeastern Conference,? said second-year head coach Eileen Schmidt.
The Wildcats wrap up the three-game series tomorrow, Mar. 12, with a single game. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.
