FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. ? The Kentucky softball team dropped a pair to Arkansas today, Mar. 31, to fall to 17-13 on the year and 4-9 in Southeastern Conference play. The Lady Razorbacks improve to 14-31 overall and 2-10 in league competition with the sweep.
The Wildcats set a new school record for home runs in a season when Ashley Fertic hit her second homer of the day in game two. UK now has 38 home runs on the year. The Cats tied the school record in the opening game of the double dip when Molly Johnson and Fertic each homered to raise the season total to 37. That tied the record set in 2004.
The Wildcats got on the board first in the top of the opening inning. Audrey Meyer drew a base on balls and Molly Johnson followed with a two-out homer over the wall in center. Johnson?s fifth home run of the season gave UK the early 2-0 lead.
The Lady ?Backs quickly tied it in the home half of the first when Miranda Dixon hit a two-run shot of her own. Brittany Robison had walked to lead off and scored on the homer to tie the game at two runs apiece.
Kentucky went ahead again with five runs in the third. Natalie Smith doubled to left to open the inning and went to third on a perfect sacrifice bunt by Meyer. Brooke Marnitz singled up the middle to bring in Smith and give UK the 3-2 lead. Johnson followed with a single and went to third on an RBI double down the left field line by Katie Campbell that scored Marnitz and made it a three-run lead for the Cats. Ashley Fertic then stepped to the plate with two out and two on and blasted a home run over the wall in left-center to make it a 7-2 advantage.
Arkansas responded with a six-spot in the bottom of the third on seven hits and a hit batter to take an 8-7 lead. The Lady ?Backs then added two runs in the bottom of the fourth on three hits to make it a 10-7 Arkansas edge.
UK got a run back in the top of the fifth when Marnitz singled and went to second on an error by the UA second baseman. Marnitz would come around to plate the Cats? eighth run of the game on an RBI single to left by Campbell.
The Lady ?Backs pushed their lead back to three on a solo homer by Whitney Cloer in the fifth to make the score 11-8. Three runs on three hits in the sixth gave Arkansas a 14-8 advantage as the Hogs won their first conference game of the year.
The Wildcats allowed a school-record 19 hits, breaking the previous record of 18 which was set against Alabama on Mar. 21, 1998.
UK had nine hits in the loss, including a 3-for-4 performance by Campbell. The senior catcher also drove in a pair and scored a run. Johnson and Marnitz each went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while Johnson had two RBI. Fertic finished 1-for-3 with three RBI on her second home run of the year.
Jennifer Young took the loss for UK after giving up nine earned runs on 12 hits in 4.0 innings of relief. She falls to 6-5 on the season with the loss.
In the second game, the Razorbacks scored a run on a single and three walks to take an early 1-0 lead in the first.
UK starter Amber Matousek regrouped after the rocky first and sat down nine straight Arkansas batters over the next three innings to keep it a one-run game.
Fertic knotted the score at a run apiece in the top of the fifth with her second homer of the day, a solo shot over the wall in left.
The Lady ?Backs threatened to score in the fifth after a walk and a UK error, but Matousek struck out Dayna Huckabee with runners at second and third to end the inning and the threat.
The Wildcats scored the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth when Johnson singled to lead off and stole second. Becky Bishop added a two-out single to right field to bring Johnson around and give UK the 2-1 lead.
The lead was short-lived, however, as the Hogs tied it and went ahead on Dixon?s two-run homer in the home half of the sixth. Arkansas added two more runs on a double off the wall in left by Jessica Bachkora to make it a 5-2 Lady ?Back advantage.
Meyer singled with two away in the top of the seventh, but she would be stranded at first as UA held on for the win.
The Wildcats had seven hits in the loss, including Meyer who was 3-for-4 at the plate. Bishop and Fertic each had a hit and an RBI in the nightcap. Matousek (5-3) was charged with the loss after allowing two earned runs on six hits in the complete game.
The series wraps up on Sunday, Apr. 1, with the third and final game which can be seen live on Fox Sports Net.
