Sagermann and Hinz’s Homers Power No. 13 Kentucky to Series Win
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Behind first-inning
home runs from sophomore Brooklin Hinz and senior third basemen, Nikki
Sagermann, the No. 13 Kentucky softball team powered its way to a 6-2 win on
Sunday afternoon at John Cropp Stadium to win the series over the Rebels and
move to 5-1 in Southeastern Conference play.
With Sunday’s result, Kentucky ups its season
record to 25-4 overall and 5-1 in league play, matching its win total in the
SEC from 2015, a season in which UK advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals for
the fourth time in five years. Shannon Smith started the game in the circle for
UK giving up one run on four hits, and senior ace Kelsey Nunley came into the
game in the top of the fourth, earning the win on 3.2 innings pitched allowing
one unearned run on just two hits.
Nunley with the win moves to 10-2 on the
season, and sports a team-beat 0.86 ERA in her 15 appearances on the season.
The senior from Soddy Daisy, Tenn., has 73 innings pitched on the season and
has given up just nine earned runs on 41 hits with 16 walks and 87 strikeouts
this season.
Sophomore Brooklin Hinz broke the seal on the
game in the bottom of the first inning, lifting a homer to left field to score
Christian Stokes off the scoreboard in left to give UK an early 2-0 lead. The next
batter was Nikki Sagermann, who was celebrating her birthday on Sunday, and she
homered to rightcenter field for back-to-back homers and a 3-0 UK lead after
one inning.
Nunley stepped to the plate in the bottom of
the fourth inning and broke open the game with a 2-RBI single into right on a
bullet down the line scoring Sagermann and Steed to make it 6-1 UK at the time.
Kentucky will play five games over the next
six days, beginning with two midweek games on Tuesday and Wednesday at John
Cropp Stadium with a 5 p.m. ET game against Northern Kentucky. The Wildcats
will host Murray State at 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday before hitting the road for a
weekend series with Arkansas. Both Tuesday and Wednesday’s games will be live
on the SEC Network+ and the WatchESPN app with Dave Baker, Carol Bruggeman and
Dorian Craft calling the action.
Key Stat
Two. Kentucky homered two times in the first
inning, marking the fourth time this season UK has homered two times in the
same inning, and the first time this season homers have come back-to-back.
Kentucky has also now scored in the first inning in five of six SEC games this
season, scoring the eventual game-winning run in all five of those six
occasions. UK is outscoring its opponents 45-9 in the first inning this season.
Key Play
The key play in the game on Sunday was Kelsey
Nunley’s one-out single down the rightfield line to score Nikki Sagermann and
Maisie Steed. Sagermann and Steed both walked to lead off the bottom of the
fourth, and moved up a base on a perfect bunt by freshman Jenny Schaper. Nunley
then roped the 2-RBI single to make UK’s 4-1 lead balloon to 6-1.
Key Player
Nikki Sagermann was the key player for
Kentucky, going 2-2 on the day with a solo home run in the first, a walk in the
fourth inning and a one-out double in the bottom of the sixth. Sagermann got
the start at third on Sunday, and also made the game-ending out with a nice
pick play at third and throw over to Steed at first to end the game.
Run Recap
Christian Stokes made the most of her first
appearance in the lead-off spot this season with a single to start the game to
the second baseman. Sophomore Brooklin Hinz then launched a homer to left off
the scoreboard to make it 2-0 UK. Nikki Sagermann would play add-on in her at
bat as Kentucky went back-to-back after Sagermann homered to rightcenter field
all in the bottom of the first inning. UK 3, OM 0
The Rebels would get one back in the third on
a solo home run by Miranda Strother, who hit her second home run of the
weekend. UK 3, OM 1
Kentucky would add three runs in the bottom of
the fourth inning and blow open the game at that point. Sagermann and Steed
both walked to lead off the bottom of the inning, and moved up a base on a
perfect bunt by freshman Jenny Schaper. Nunley then roped the 2-RBI single to
make UK’s 4-1 lead balloon to 6-1. UK 6, OM 1
Ole Miss would score one more time, in the top
of the sixth, after a double by Courtney Syrett scored Strother, who got on
base with an infield single. FINAL – No. 13 Kentucky 6, Ole Miss 2
For the latest on the Kentucky softball team, follow @UKSoftball on Twitter, Instagram
and Facebook, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.
