LEXINGTON, Ky. ? Led by senior Ashley Dimkich?s perfect day at the plate, the Kentucky softball team wrapped up non-conference action with a 4-2 win over in-state rival Eastern Kentucky on a beautiful afternoon at the UK Softball Complex, Wednesday.
Dimkich tallied an impressive 3-for-3 performance at the dish which included an RBI and a run scored to lead the bats for the Wildcats, as they improve to 17-31 overall on the year.
?It was a beautiful night at the ball park tonight, and (Ashley) Dimkich really kept us going offensively,? said Head Coach Rachel Lawson. ?I also thought we got an outstanding performance from Amber Matousek on the mound.?
Matousek threw a complete game, giving up no earned runs on the afternoon. The sophomore struck out five batters while yielding just a single walk in her 11th win of the season.
Kentucky struck first with a two-run second inning. Dimkich jump-started the offense with a double that struck off the left field wall. Sophomore Destinee Mordecai laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runner to third and in prime scoring position. A single off the bat of freshman Annie Rowlands plated the first run of the night for the Blue and White. Senior Audrey Meyer recorded a single of her own putting runners on first and second. Freshman Megan Yocke scored Rowlands from second with a single up the middle giving UK an early 2-0 edge.
The early lead was short-lived as Eastern Kentucky struck back with a pair of runs of their own in the top half of the third. The Colonels got runs on Matousek?s lone walk and then a Wildcat error kept the inning alive. Eastern scored its runs on a double to left field evening the score at two.
Kentucky regained its lead with a score in the fourth. Junior Katie McCarty found a gap in right-center for an inning-opening double. Rowlands then pushed the runner to third with a sac-bunt. Yocke brought in her second score of the game with a well-placed sacrifice fly to deep center field.
The home squad stretched its lead to two runs with another score in the bottom of the fifth. Sophomore Molly Johnson reached base with a single, but then was out at second when freshman Meagan Aull reached on a fielder?s choice. The speedy freshman swiped her 12th base of the season to put herself in position to score from second. Dimkich?s single into left field brought in Aull from second, bringing the score to its final margin at 4-2.
From there the Wildcats rode the right-arm of Matousek and its defense to the finish and sealed the win; its 14th non-conference victory of the season.
Yocke added a 1-for-2 day, plating two scores and reaching base on a walk. Johnson contributed a 2-for-3 performance at the plate to add to the offensive output for the Wildcats. Kentucky registered nine hits on the afternoon.
Kentucky will conclude its regular season with a three-game series against Georgia this weekend. The Bulldogs and Cats will play a doubleheader Saturday, and finish with a single game Sunday which will also serve as Senior Day. First pitch is slated for a 1 p.m. start both days. Live results and complete coverage of the UK softball team can be found at www.ukathletics.com.
