Borzilleri’s Sixth-Inning Triple Rescues Doubleheader Split for UK
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Junior first baseman Lauryn Borzilleri hit a go-ahead two-run triple to right field in the bottom of the sixth inning Friday night to push Kentucky into a 4-3 lead, in which junior pitcher Sarah Haendiges locked down the win in the seventh by striking out the side to earn a split on the day for Kentucky as it opened its series with Auburn inside John Cropp Stadium.
Auburn took advantage of three Kentucky errors in game one, which led directly to all two Tigers runs in the fourth and seventh innings, as Auburn won the game, 2-1. Peyton Plotts hit a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning to push Kentucky into the lead, a lead it held for two innings until Auburn tied things up at 1-1 in the fourth. Fast forward to the seventh, and AU got its first two runners on with back-to-back errors in the seventh and scored the winning run on a single through the right side with two outs.
Kentucky’s pitching was stellar all day, as Alexia Lacatena, Carson Fall and Haendiges combined to allow just only four earned runs in 14 innings with 18 strikeouts.
In the second game, Kentucky came out with two quick runs thanks to an RBI double off the bat of Lauryn Borzilleri in the third inning, which followed a first-inning run thanks to Hallie Mitchell’s RBI single up the middle with two outs to score Ally Hutchins, who led off the game with a walk and came around to score.
After Auburn responded with a three-spot in the top of the fifth to take its first lead of the game, Delani Sullivan kick started the game-winning rally for the Wildcats in the bottom of the sixth with a walk. Ally Hutchins then bunted for a single for the second time in three games to put two on and Borzilleri hit a ball to right field that rode the wind and found the green for a two-RBI go-ahead, two-run triple to put the Wildcats back on top 4-3.
Sarah Haendiges, who threw the final 2.2 innings of the game, came in to get strikeouts number four, five and six on the game in the top of the seventh inning after allowing a lead-off walk and Kentucky nailed down its 23rd win of the season with the home victory, its sixth SEC home win of the year.
Kentucky is now 23-16 on the season and sits 6-8 in SEC play after Friday. Auburn is 23-15 and 1-13 in league play with the split. Game three of the series has been moved up an hour to 1 p.m. ET on Saturday due to expected weather moving into the Lexington area as storm are running across the Midwest. The game will be broadcasted on the SEC Network+ and the ESPN app from John Cropp Stadium.
The Kentucky Softball Designated Players Club
The Designated Players is the Official Booster Program of Kentucky Softball. Financial contributions and community support through The Designated Players program, Kentucky Softball will be able to continue to develop our student-athletes on and off the field. To join The Designated Players, you can join online or click here to download the membership form and mail to the address listed. For more information, email Kristine Himes at kentuckysoftball@uky.edu or Larry Cash at Larry.Cash@uky.edu.
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