Kentucky Completes Twinbill Sweep With 10-3 Victory Over State
'Cats Take Series, Teams To Finish Out Three-Game Set On Sunday Afternoon LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The Kentucky softball team (18-18, 3-8 SEC) rallied for multi-run innings three different times and stifled several comeback attempts by visiting Mississippi State (23-19, 5-8) to complete a doubleheader sweep of the Bulldogs with a 10-3 victory in the nightcap Saturday afternoon at the UK Softball Complex. Kellie Wilkerson and Kate Jaspers both turned in 2-for-4 days at the plate to pace the Bulldogs, who struggled to get key hits in crucial situations. Krystal Tillman (1-for-2, BB) and Jennifer Nelson (1-for-2, R) also recorded base hits for State. Kentucky first baseman Andy Eilertson plated three RBIs on a 2-for-4 showing to spark the Wildcats. Mississippi State starter Melissa Massey made two appearances in the ball game, allowing six earned runs on six hits and four walks to take her third-straight losing decision. Kentucky starter Meghan Cooper (8-7) scattered six hits and struck out three and allowed just one unearned run to nab the win for the 'Cats. The loss marked State's first series loss to Kentucky in the history of the two programs. Despite having its first two batters retired in order, Kentucky got its third and fourth batters of the first inning on via walks, setting the table for Eilertson, who ripped a single into centerfield to plate Lyndsey Angus with the 1-0 lead. Mississippi State put a pair of runners into scoring position with one out in the second, but Cooper calmed the storm and struck out the next two Bulldogs to escape the serious scoring threat. Mississippi State put two runners on with one out in the third before Jaspers laced an RBI single up the middle to bring home Jennifer Nelson from second base. However, the ball took an unorthodox bounce and rolled off of Brook Bowman's glove to allow Iyhia McMichael to race home from first with the 2-1 lead for the Maroon and White. Kentucky got Eilerston aboard via a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth, then put the runner into scoring position on a sacrifice hit from Rachel Friberg. Cooper's RBI triple wih the next at-bat tied the score at two apiece, but the Wildcats got a fielder's choice RBI two batters later to take a 3-2 lead into the fifth. State threatened again in the fifth, getting a one-out double from Wilkerson and a sacrifice hit from Jennifer Nelson, but Kentucky appeared to get out of the inning on McMichael's grounder to third. However, Rachel Friberg's throw sailed high allowing the runner to reach base safely and Wilkerson to cross the plate with the game-tying run. Kentucky got a pair of singles and a six-pitch walk to lead off the bottom of the fifth and create a bases loaded jam with no outs before Eilertson's groundout RBI helped Kentucky claim the lead for the third time in the contest. Rachel Friberg's perfect suicide squeeze bunt brought Angus across the plate with the 5-3 lead with the next at-bat and Angie Dal Pozzo scored moments later when MSU catcher Blaire Brown threw to second attempting to get the runner advancing. Jessica Nance's RBI single to right capped off a four-run fifth and gave the Wildcats a 7-3 lead heading into the sixth. The Wildcats used a single and a pair of walks to load the bases, again, with one out in the sixth and set the table for Eilertson who delivered a groundout RBI to score Nikki Jones from third with the 8-3 lead for the Blue and White. Friberg's two-run double to left centerfield with the next at-bat extended Kentucky's lead out to 10-3. Mississippi State threatened one more time in the seventh, getting its first two batters aboard, but Cooper got McMichael to line out into a double play and Jaspers to fly out to centerfield to end the game. Mississippi State and Kentucky will return to action tomorrow afternoon when both teams return to the UK Softball Complex for the series finale of the three-game set. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. EDT.
GAME 2 - Kentucky 10, Mississippi State 3Mississippi State 002 010 0 - 3 6 0Kentucky 100 243 x - 10 9 4Massey (1,6), Wilkerson (4) and Brown; Cooperand Angus. W - Cooper (8-7). L - Masey (4-10).Save - None. 3B: UK - Cooper. 2B: MSU -Wilkerson 2; UK - Friberg.