OXFORD, Miss. ? Freshman Megan Yocke?s solo home run guided the University of Kentucky softball team to an opening win before falling in the second game to split a doubleheader with Ole Miss Saturday in Oxford. UK took the first game by the score of 3-1, before dropping the second game 6-1.
In the game one win, Yocke got things going early for the Wildcats. In the top of the first inning, the freshman from California sent a ball over the left field wall for her first career home run and an early 1-0 lead for the Blue and White.
Freshman Meagan Aull sent a ball through the left side of the infield to open the top of the third with a base hit. She was able to move to second on a throwing error by Ole Miss? catcher. Senior Audrey Meyer followed with a single into shallow left field putting runners on the corners with no outs for the Blue and White. Yocke placed a beautiful bunt into the dirt and reached base while also plating her second RBI of the game. On the ensuing chase at home plate to try and catch Aull, Meyer rounded to third and Yocke moved all the way to second. Smith lined one right at the first baseman, but Ole Miss mishandled the play allowing Smith to reach first and Meyer to score. Sophomore Molly Johnson grounded out to the pitcher, but the out allowed Smith to move into scoring position on second. Kentucky ended the inning on consecutive strikeouts leaving two runners on base, but the inning allowed the Wildcats to extend its lead to 3-0.
The Rebels? Michelle May led off the bottom of the third with a solo shot to left field to pull the score to 3-1. UK got its first out of the inning on a groundout, but Ole Miss followed with a single into right center. The base runner moved to second on a groundout to third base. Yocke was able to end the inning when she caught the runner trying to steal third.
Aull went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with three singles and a run scored. Yocke tallied a 1-for-4 outing with two RBI. Matousek went the distance for the Blue and White tossing seven innings, fanning five batters, yielding just five hits and giving up just the one earned run for her career-best eighth win of the season.
In the nightcap, Ole Miss started off hot plating two runs in the bottom half of the first inning. The Rebels scored two runs off of a hit-by-pitch and two doubles to take the early 2-0 advantage.
Kentucky had a chance to put a runner across in the top of the fourth inning. Johnson reached base on a fielder?s choice and moved to second on her team leading 14th stolen base of the season. She then was able to move over to third on a passed ball, but the inning ended with her stranded on third with a pop up to the shortstop.
Senior Ashley Dimkich started the top of the fifth with a single up the middle of the infield, and junior Katie McCarty followed with an infield bunt-single putting runners on first and second. Freshman Annie Rowlands entered the game as a pinch runner for McCarty. Sophomore Destinee Mordecai laid down a sacrifice bunt to put both runners into scoring position. The Wildcats couldn?t get a run across the plate though as the inning ended on a strikeout and a groundout to the shortstop.
Ole Miss added a run in the bottom of the fifth with a double and single back-to-back moving ahead 3-0.
Kentucky scratched the scoreboard in the top half of the sixth inning to pull within 3-1. Yocke jumpstarted the inning with a single into left field and then took two more bases on a fielding error by the right fielder. Smith brought her in with a groundout to the second baseman. Kentucky has now scored 30 runs in the sixth frame on the season, more than in any other inning.
The Rebels plated three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth to move ahead 6-1. Ole Miss started the scoring on a two-out, bases-loaded single into that dropped just in front of the out-stretched arms of Aull in shallow center. The third run came in on a single that laced the left field line.
Kentucky moves to 14-22 overall and 2-11 in the Southeastern Conference. Ole Miss now stands at 16-22 and 1-15 in league play.
The two teams will compete for the series win tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT. Complete coverage of the UK softball team can be found at www.ukathletics.com.
