May 9, 2010
OXFORD, Miss. – A four-run third inning ignited by a pair of Kentucky errors enabled Ole Miss to claim the final game of the series by a 5-3 margin on Sunday in Oxford, Miss. Kentucky captured the series with two victories in Saturday’s doubleheader to take the series from the Rebels for the fourth consecutive season.
UK will advance to the Southeastern Conference tournament for the second consecutive season and owns the No. 6 overall seed. Kentucky is slated to take on LSU in the quarterfinals on Thursday with a time still yet to be determined.
Kentucky falls to 31-24 on the season and 13-15 in Southeastern Conference action. Ole Miss finishes the season with a 27-27 mark and an 8-19 record in league action. This marks the second consecutive season the Wildcats have notched 13 victories in SEC action, equaling the second most wins in conference play in school allure.
Samantha DeMartine and Brittany Cervantes both tallied a pair of hits on the day. Megan Yocke was 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored.
The Wildcats opened the scoring in the top of the first for the third consecutive game. Molly Johnson laid down a bunt to reach base and then Natalie Smith roped a ball toward the third base side that nicked off the Ole Miss fielder’s glove. Heads up base running allowed both Johnson and Smith to shift into scoring position when the ball ended up in centerfield. Yocke brought home Johnson with a single through the left side, and then Yocke and Smith teamed up for a tremendous double-steal effort that allowed Smith to tap home for the 2-0 UK advantage.
Ole Miss took their first lead of the series behind a four-run third inning to take a 4-2 lead over the visiting Wildcats. The Rebels loaded the bases and Lauren Grill delivered a two-run double into left field. A pair of errors by UK fielders enabled the bases to clear for all four runs to tap home on the one play.
UK struck for a run in the visitor’s side of the fifth to bring the score to within one at 4-3. Yocke reached base on a one-out walk and shifted to third when DeMartine singled through the right side. Cervantes’ single into right field plated Yocke for UK’s third run of the game.
Ole Miss increased its advantage to 5-3 with a solo home run from Ashley Dowdy in the bottom of the sixth frame.
Cervantes led off the top of the seventh with her second hit of the game when she drove a hopper into left field. However, UK would leave her aboard preventing a comeback effort from the Blue and White. For the game Kentucky stranded 10 base runners on the afternoon.
Today’s game completes the regular season for the Wildcats. UK will now head to Fayetteville, Ark., for the 2010 SEC Tournament as the league’s No. 6 seed. The Wildcats are set to face the third-seed in LSU on Thursday. Game times are to be determined. Follow along at UKathletics.com for the most up-to-date information regarding the SEC Tournament and the Kentucky softball team.
This marks the second consecutive season the Wildcats have advanced to the conference’s tournament. A season ago, UK knocked off nationally top-10 ranked Georgia, the tournament’s third seed by a 2-0 margin.
