UK softball: Hot-hitting Tigers top Cats in series opener

Auburn brought the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense to town Friday to face a Kentucky pitching staff boasting the fourth-best earned run average in college softball, and the Tigers dealt the first blow from both the plate and the pitching circle.

Behind a three-run first inning, a five-run third inning and a sensational start from Kaylee Carlson, Auburn knocked off the Wildcats 9-0 in the opener of a three-game series at John Cropp Stadium.

The nine Auburn runs were the most allowed by Kentucky in a game this season. The previous high came in the Cats’ season-opening 10-7 win over then-No. 25 Notre Dame.

Kentucky starting pitcher Meagan Prince entered Friday’s game with a 14-0 record, the longest win streak to begin a season in program history. But she ran into trouble right off the bat, allowing a leadoff single to Tiffany Howard, followed by a four-pitch walk to Emily Carosone. She nearly worked her way out of the jam, fanning Kasey Cooper on a full count and inducing a groundout, but Jade Rhodes followed with a three-run blast over the center-field wall for her team-leading 12th home run of the season.

“We came out and put people on base, which wasn’t great,” said UK head coach Rachel Lawson. “Then Meagan made a couple of huge outs, but then we just threw a really bad pitch to a great hitter and she capitalized on it.”

Kentucky threatened in the bottom of the first, as Sylver Samuel tagged a ball through the middle of the infield with one out and Nikki Sagermann followed with a walk, but Carlson sat down the next two batters to end the inning.

The Tigers put it out of reach in the third inning. After Howard scored on a bases-loaded fielder’s choice, Kentucky’s Katie Reed mishandled a hard grounder to second, allowing another Auburn run. Then Madi Gipson drew a walk to load the bases again and chase Prince from the game. Jenna Abott followed with a two-run single to center and Howard drew a bases-loaded walk in her second at-bat of the inning before Kelsey Nunley threw a full-count strikeout to finally end the Tigers’ third. Auburn drew four of its six walks on the night in the frame.

Shannon Smith finally slowed down the Auburn bats, throwing five strikeouts in her two innings of relief, but the Cats managed just one more hit on the night, a slow roller down the first baseline that Maisie Steed legged out.

Lawson said the early deficit caused UK to become impatient at the plate.

“We could have been a little more competitive in our at-bats, but I think that we started to press a little bit too early once they got the lead,” she said.

Smith said the Cats won’t let Friday’s loss affect their approach to the last two games of the series.

“We’re a team that relies a lot on being light and having fun the whole time, so if we get too bogged down about the fact that we lost tonight it’s gonna hurt us the rest of the weekend,” she said. “We’re gonna come out tomorrow with a light attitude and that’s where we’re gonna play our best.”

Kentucky will look to even the series Saturday at 3 p.m. Nunley will start, matching her 13-3 record and 0.74 earned run average against Auburn’s hot offense.

This story was originally published April 1, 2016 at 9:36 PM with the headline "UK softball: Hot-hitting Tigers top Cats in series opener."