April 23, 2011
by Koby Padgett
Assistant Media Relations Director
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 20/16 Kentucky (34-10, 12-6 SEC) used Meagan Aull’s first-inning two-run homer and two sacrifice flies from Annie Rowlands to claim a 5-3 victory over South Carolina (24-22, 5-15 SEC) in the first game on Saturday afternoon at Beckham Field.
Aull’s homer snuck just over the right-center field wall in front of the scoreboard to give Kentucky the 2-0 lead, driving in Kara Dill after her one-out single. The lead grew to 3-0 on Rowlands’ first sacrifice fly in the second, scoring Samatha DeMartine after she started the inning with a four-pitch walk.
The Gamecocks got a run back in the bottom of the second on sophomore Evan Childs’ sacrifice fly to deep left. That plated junior Kaitlin Westfall after her leadoff triple.
Kentucky added runs in the third and fourth. In the third, Rowlands connected for her second sacrifice fly of the contest, scoring Brittany Cervantes ahead of Gamecock junior centerfielder Lauren Lackey’s throw to third that cut down Ginny Carroll as she tried to reach third on the play. The lead grew to 5-1 when Macy Allen scored from second on an errant throw by the Gamecock third baseman in the fourth.
South Carolina tried to mount a comeback in the seventh, getting a leadoff single from freshman Dana Hathorn before Westfall drove a ball off the left-field fair pole to make it 5-3. But Kentucky starter Chanda Bell came through to get a groundout and a strikeout to end the ball game.
Bell (12-5) allowed the three earned runs on two walks and four hits while fanning six. Gamecock senior Ashley Chastain (3-4) took the loss, giving up three earned runs on three hits and a walk in one inning.
Westfall scored both of the Gamecock runs while going 2-for-3 with the triple and home run. Rowlands had the two sacrifice flies, while Aull drove in two with her homer. Dill was the only Wildcat with multiple hits, posting two while scoring a run.
