Renee Abernathy had a lot to celebrate Friday as she hit two home runs against Alabama. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Going into Friday’s NCAA Super Regional at Alabama, I have to believe if I had told Kentucky coach Rachel Lawson before the game that these things would happen that she would have been very very happy.
— Pitcher Autumn Humes would not give up a hit the first three innings and not allow a run in six innings. She would also strike out nine batters.
— Kayla Kowalik would open the game with a line single off Alabama ace Montana Fouts, who would have to make 134 pitches in the game.
— Outfielder Renee Abernathy would hit two home runs to straightaway center field.
— Third baseman Miranda Stoddard would steal only her second base of the season.
— The Kentucky defense would not make an error.
— Bailey Hemphill and Kaylee Yow, Alabama’s two best run producers, would not drive in a run and only have one single apiece.
— Outfielders Tatum Spangler and Lauren Johnson would both make run-saving catches in the outfield.
But even with all that, Kentucky still lost 4-3 to No. 3 Alabama — a team that has now won 17 straight games.
“I am really proud of how our team competed,” Kentucky coach Rachel Lawson said. “I thought overall we did a great job offensively. We were much better at the plate (against Fouts). I thought Autumn was really good on the mound.”
Kentucky lost because Alabama hit the Cats with a four-run fourth inning highlighted by KB Sides’ bases-loaded triple over Abernathy’s head in center field to wipe out UK’s 2-0 lead.
“Personally, I think I should have caught that ball. Didn’t think I took a very aggressive route toward it, not the right route,” Abernathy said.
Lawson credited Alabama’s offense for putting the “(bat) barrel on some pitches” in the fourth inning but also said UK could “have played better defense and maybe could have got out of the inning with one run” if Abernathy had made the play in center.
Kentucky had a chance in the seventh to tie the game or take the lead. Abernathy hit her second homer — “I was just truly thinking, hit it hard somewhere and it worked out” — before Humes and Stoddard both singled. Alabama intentionally walked Kowalik, the nation’s leader in hits and batting average, to load the bases.
Lawson said she understood not wanting the other team’s best hitter to beat you.
“But that has got to be one of the few times ever you intentionally walk a slapper,” the Kentucky coach said. “I understand the decision and clearly it was the right one because they ended up giving up no runs.”
That’s because Spangler, who drove in UK’s first run with a single, struck out looking at a 3-2 pitch from Fouts, her 11th strikeout of the game.
Lawson said there was not much she could say to Spangler and knew a 4-3 game with the bases loaded, two outs and a 3-2 pitch was a pressure-packed situation.
Lawson said she could have yelled at Spangler for taking the pitch or supported her. Lawson went with understanding it was a “tough situation and tough pitch” for Spangler.
Now Kentucky must win today when the teams play against at 2 p.m. to force a third game Sunday and stay alive for a College World Series berth.
“Games like that are a bummer because I thought we played well,” Lawson said. “I don’t think we played a perfect game, but I thought we played really well. On the one hand, you can take a lot of confidence from that. On the other hand, you’re like, ‘Oh man, that stinks, we played pretty well and they still ended up on the winning side of things.’ We played a good game.”
Just not quite good enough.
