Martens’ Two Bombs Help No. 10 Kentucky Down Texas A&M
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Senior slugger Alex Martens bombed two three-run home runs on Saturday, helping erase an 8-1 third-inning deficit as the No. 10 Kentucky softball team rallied to scored the final seven runs of the game to beat Texas A&M, 11-9.
Saturday’s game was the Southeastern Conference series openers for both teams, with Kentucky winning its SEC lidlifter for the second-straight season. On the year, UK is now 18-3, continuing its best start in program history. Texas A&M falls to 15-8 overall and slides to 0-1 in conference.
Autumn Humes was the winning pitcher of record in the game for Kentucky, allowing three earned runs in 4.2 innings work and striking out three batters. Humes also had the eventual game-winning hit in the bottom of the sixth inning, as she powered a two-run single into the left-center gap that pushed across the tying run and go-ahead run with one out. She is now 4-0 on the season in the circle.
Game two of the three-game series will be on Sunday afternoon at John Cropp Stadium in Lexington at 7 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on the SEC Network with Matt Schumacker and former Alabama All-American, Kayla Braud on the call.
Key Stat
11. Kentucky scored 11 runs in the game, marking the ninth time this year that the Wildcats have scored double-digit runs in a game. UK also registered 10 hits in Saturday’s contest with Bailey Vick (3), Alex Martens (2) and Lauren Johnson (2) all having multi-hit games.
Key Play
The key play in the game was Autumn Humes’ two-run single into the left-center gap with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning. Humes stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and one out with UK trailing by a run and crushed an 0-1 offering through the left side to score Martens and Mallory Peyton.
Key Player
The key player in the game was Bailey Vick, who went 3-for-3 at the plate with three singles, and additionally a successful sacrifice bunt. Vick climbed her average back into the .600’s with Saturday’s performance, and is now hitting .603 for the year.
Run Recap
Texas A&M began the game with five singles in the top of the first to put two early runs on the board. TAMU 2, UK 0
Kentucky scored one run in the bottom of the first as Kayla Kowalik led off the inning with one of her two walks on the day and Rylea Smith slammed a single up the middle to score Kowalik. TAMU 2, UK 1
In the top of the third, Texas A&M scored six runs as the Wildcats allowed a grand slam and had trouble defensively to put away the Aggies. TAMU 8, UK 1
Kentucky would plate three runs as Alex Martens crushed the first of two three-run HR’s on the day to straight-away center, scoring Kowalik and Vick with her. TAMU 8, UK 4
Texas A&M’s Hailey Lee hit a solo home run in the fourth to add on to the Aggie lead. TAMU 9, UK 4
In the bottom of the fourth, Martens hit a three-run home run for the second-straight inning as she powered one to the right-center fence and that put the Wildcats back in the game for the final innings. TAMU 9, UK 7
In the bottom of the sixth, UK scored four times as Lauren Johnson shot a bloop single into left with two on and Autumn Humes sent one to the left-center gap with the bases loaded to plate a pair. Miranda Stoddard then recorded her first-career SEC RBI as she lifted a sacrifice fly to deep left to score Johnson as UK took a two-run deficit and made it into a two-run lead. FINAL – Kentucky 11, Texas A&M 9
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