March 5, 2010
MARIETTA, Ga. – Three costly errors proved to be the difference in No. 23 Kentucky’s 7-1 loss to Georgia State, Friday evening on a cold, brisk night during the second game of the Buzz Classic. The Blue and White charted 10 hits but the offense could not overcome three costly errors as the Wildcats left 10 base runners stranded.
With the loss Kentucky falls to 12-4 on the year, and 1-1 on the day. Kentucky’s offense notched 10 hits with three players posting two singles apiece. Seniors Destinee Mordecai and Natalie Smith and junior Megan Yocke all had a pair of one-base hits on the day. Junior Annie Rowlands rounded home for the Wildcats’ lone score.
UK placed two runners on base in the opening frame when freshman Kara Dill leadoff the game with a single and senior Molly Johnson was plucked with a pitch.
Georgia State scored the first run of the game with a solo home run to centerfield for a 1-0 advantage in the top of the second.
The Wildcats knotted the score in the home half of the third inning. Junior Annie Rowlands reached base when the catcher interfered during her at bat. Rowlands moved to second when junior Megan Yocke had a one-out single through the left side. Senior Natalie Smith plated the score with a single through the right side to make the score 1-1 through three innings.
Georgia State answered with a four-run fourth inning. The Panthers plated their runs on a two-run home run and then the designated visitors benefited from a pair of UK miscues to bring in the two other runs for a 5-1 advantage.
Kentucky had three consecutive two-out singles in the bottom of the stanza. Sophomore Rachel Riley began the rally and Mordecai and Rowlands each followed with a single of their own, but the inning ended with a lineout to centerfield leaving three runners on the base paths.
Another error committed by the Wildcats allowed Georgia State to add two more runs in the top of the fifth increasing their lead to 7-1.
The Wildcats stranded three more runners in the home half of the inning. Yocke led off the inning after getting struck by a pitch. Johnson reached base on a single and sophomore Brittany Cervantes reached on a walk, but the inning ended with a groundout to the shortstop.
In a last ditch effort, Yocke began the seventh with a single through the left side. She then shifted to second on a passed ball by the Panthers’ catcher. Smith’s second single of the day placed runners on the corners. The game would end with a pop up and then a grounder into a double play leaving another runner stranded.
The Wildcats return to action for two more games at the Buzz Classic. At 4 p.m. ET the Wildcats will take on ninth-ranked Georgia Tech. UK will follow that contest with a 6 p.m. matchup with Western Carolina.
Stay tuned to UKathletics.com for the most up-to-date information regarding the Kentucky softball team.
