Katie Reed put forth one of the best games at the bat in Kentucky softball history Friday night in the Cats 8-0 run-rule win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs at John Cropp Stadium.

Reed, a senior shortstop from St. Louis, Missouri, blasted two three-run home runs in the bottom of the 1st and 3rd innings, and in the process tied the school record for RBIs in a game with six.

The All-American has hit five home runs and driven in 26 runs so far this season. Her early season haul is a surprise even to Kentucky head coach Rachel Lawson.

"Two home runs in a game, I don't think I would have counted on her for that," said Lawson after the game.

Reed's glove is what her such an attractive recruit coming out of high school.

"You recruit her because she is a tremendous defensive player," said Lawson. "She has always been very feisty and has always been great in the lineup, but to show that kind of power, she has really worked hard on her game and is a lot stronger than she was."

So what does Reed attribute to her growth as a hitter?

"Confidence," she told Cats Illustrated. "I've really focused on being more disciplined at the plate, and then I've put in a lot of work in the weight room...I can hit all pitches to all (parts of the) fields."

The Wildcats (18-7, 4-0) extended their winning streak to eight games and run rule streak to three despite the Bulldogs left-handed pitcher Grace Fagan (3-3) holding them to three hits.

The Bulldogs (19-6, 0-1) outhit the Cats four to three but could never string consistent offense together against the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week Autumn Humes.

Humes (6-4) recorded her second straight shutout and has thrown 13.2 straight scoreless innings. She recorded four strikeouts against zero walks.

The Cats took advantage of a walk and a throwing error by the Bulldogs to get runners aboard in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore Mallory Peyton plated their first run with a two-out RBI single. Reed then cleared the bases with her first dinger.

Peyton, the Cats first baseman, was the only Cat other than Reed to get in the hit column.

A walk and two more throwing errors by the Bulldogs gifted the Cats their first run in the bottom of the 3rd inning, setting the stage for Reed's second bomb of the night.

The Cats and Bulldogs honored MSU softball player Alex Wilcox who passed away from ovarian cancer in 2018 before the game. Bulldog head coach Vann Stuedeman tossed out the first pitch.