Abernathy’s Two Home Runs Blast No. 12 Kentucky Past EKU
RICHMOND, Ky. – Renee Abernathy hit two home run, Tatum Spangler hit one and Kayla Kowalik hit a long ball as well Wednesday night as the No. 12 Kentucky Softball team defeated Eastern Kentucky 12-4 in five inning at Gertrude Hood Field in Richmond.
Kentucky jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Lauren Johnson hammed an RBI single up the middle to score Kayla Kowalik, who led off the game with a single. Following that, Renee Abernathy hit the first of her two home runs to straight-away center.
EKU responded in the bottom of the first with a two-out three-run home run to tie the game as Autumn Humes made one of her only mistakes of the night.
UK then punched back by scoring the game’s next nine runs to take a 12-3 lead into the fifth inning, where one Colonel run wasn’t enough to extend the game as Kentucky took the run-rule win, 12-4.
Humes pitched a complete game in the circle on Wednesday night as she improved her record in the circle to 13-4 on the season, as she allowed four runs on four hits with a pair of walks and seven strikeouts.
Kayla Kowalik extended her team- and career-high hitting streak to 17 games, as she went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two singles, a home run and an RBI. Kowalik has now scored 56 runs this season, tying the UK single-season record that Brittany Cervantes and Kowalik now currently co-hold.
Kentucky travels to The Plains this weekend in Auburn to face the Tigers for a three-game Southeastern Conference series on the road. Friday night and Sunday afternoon’s games will be broadcasted live on the SEC Network+, ESPN3 and the ESPN app. Saturday’s game will air live at Noon ET on the SEC Network with Mark Neely and Kayla Braud on the call.
Key Stat
Four. Kentucky hit four home runs in the game to score seven of its 12 runs in the game.
Key Player
Renee Abernathy was the key player in the game, as she went 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of home runs, a single and three RBI.
Key Play
The key play in the game was Tatum Spangler’s three-run home run in the top of the second inning to take a 3-3 game and give Kentucky the 6-3 lead.
Run Recap
Lauren Johnson hit an RBI single up the middle and Renee Abernathy hit a two-run home run in the top of the first inning. UK 3, EKU 0
The Colonels hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the first to tie the game. UK 3, EKU 3
Tatum Spangler hit a three-run home run in the top of the second inning to give UK the lead. UK 6, EKU 3
In the top of the third, Renee Abernathy led off the game with a solo home run. UK 7, EKU 3
The top of the fourth saw three UK runs score as Autumn Humes had an RBI single up the middle after an error scored Tatum Spangler on the prior play. Jaci Babbs hit into an RBI groundout. UK 10, EKU 3
In the fifth inning, Kayla Kowalik led off with a home run, and following a single by Spangler to complete her 3-for-4 game, she scored on a Lauren Johnson RBI double. UK 12, EKU 3
An EKU home run closed the gap in the fifth, but not enough to continue the game. FINAL – Kentucky 12, EKU 3
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