ATHENS, Ga. ? The University of Kentucky softball team dropped a pair of Southeastern Conference games tonight, Mar. 14, as it fell to No. 11 Georgia. The Bulldogs won the first game by a final of 10-6 and claimed game two by a score of 4-2. UK falls to 12-11 on the year and 0-5 in the SEC, while the Bulldogs improve to 21-6 overall with a 4-1 mark in conference play.
The Bulldogs took a quick 1-0 lead when leadoff hitter Kelly Middleton homered to center field off UK starter Jessica Trueblood in the top of the first.
The Wildcats answered by batting around and plating four runs in the top of the second. Meghan Cooper led off with a double to right field and moved to third when Ashley Fertic reached on an error by the UGA shortstop. Gina Florence followed with an infield single to load the bases. Cooper and Fertic would come around to score when Lori Melchi reached on another error by the shortstop to give the Cats a 2-1 lead. Ali Ray, who also reached on a Georgia error, was thrown out the plate but the bases remained full for Brooke Marnitz who delivered a two-run single to give UK the 4-1 lead.
The Bulldogs cut the lead to a run in the home half of the second as they scored two runs on a hit and two Wildcat errors to slash UK?s lead to 4-3.
The Cats pushed their lead back to two runs in the third when Melchi?s RBI single scored Fertic who had reached on UGA?s fourth error of the game earlier in the inning. UGA added a run on two hits in the bottom of the third to cut UK?s lead to 5-4.
Kentucky made it a 6-4 game in the fourth when Ray beat out an infield single and stole second. She would score the Cats? sixth run of the day when Marnitz doubled to the wall right center.
Georgia re-claimed the lead in the home half of the fourth. Three hits including an RBI double and a three-run homer lifted the Dawgs to an 8-6 advantage. UGA added single runs in the fifth and sixth to push its lead to four runs at 10-6.
Marnitz went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, while Fertic finished 1-for-4 with two runs scored. Melchi added an RBI with her 1-for-3 day at the dish and also scored a run for the Cats.
Trueblood took the loss for Kentucky to see her record fall to 4-6 on the year. The freshman gave up 10 runs on 11 hits with three strikeouts in six innings of work. Kasi Carroll (10-2) got the win for Georgia, allowing six runs on eight hits and struck out 11 in the complete-game win.
In the nightcap, the Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as Middleton walked, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on an illegal pitch by UK starter Amy Kendall. Georgia added a run in the second on two hits to take a 2-0 lead.
UGA plated single runs in the third and again in the fourth to go on top by four runs. Lindsay Brogdon relieved Kendall with a runner on in the fifth and retired the side in order with three fly balls to the outfield to end the inning.
The Cats had just one hit through the first five innings, but a two-out rally in the top of the sixth cut the UGA lead in half. Cooper singled hard up the middle and scored when Campbell belted her third home run of the season to dead center field to put the Wildcats on the board, but trailing by a score of 4-2.
Megan Glenn led off the seventh with a walk but was forced out at second on a fielder?s choice off the bat of Marnitz to end the game.
Cooper led the Cats with two hits and a run scored, while Campbell went 1-for-3 with a run scored and two runs batted in.
?I was disappointed with our effort in the second game after how well we played early in the first game,? said head coach Eileen Schmidt. ?We have to get over the hump and learn how to put people away when we get a lead like we had today.?
The Cats and Dawgs wrap up this three-game series on Wednesday, Mar. 15, with a single game. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Georgia Softball Complex.
