Runs were scarce in No. 24 Kentucky's (19-6, 2-3) series-clinching 2-0 win over No. 8 LSU (23-3, 3-2) before a season-high crowd at John Cropp Stadium Sunday afternoon.
The Cats' Autumn Humes (5-1)and the Tigers' Allie Walljasper (10-2) dueled in the kind of matchup that the talent-rich Southeastern Conference is known for.
Humes, a sophomore-transfer, tossed her third complete-game of the season, striking out seven Bayou Bengals and walking only two, while allowing five hits, none of which went for extra bases.
"I'm not going to lie, I was a little nervous," Humes said after her second-career conference start. "When you play LSU you know they are always going to bring their A-game."
Humes said the key to her first conference win lay in her offspeed pitch.
"I think that the best for me--that worked--was my changeup; it kept them off balance, and that really helped my other pitches dominant them."
Head coach Rachel Lawson agreed with Humes' assessment and said that the pitch opens up the rest of her arsenal.
"She has a really good drop ball to complement it; they are two completely different speeds, and then she can come in with her third pitch...the fact that she can do that and is starting to command her changeup keeps the hitters off balance".
However, Humes noted that she and the Cats would not have been in the position to win without the clutch hitting of senior right fielder Brooklin Hinz.
Hinz recorded her second straight multi-hit game, going 2-of-3, and brought in two runs, bringing her season total to 13.
Kentucky had six total hits as a team, but only Hinz managed to collect more than one.
The Cats struggled through three-one hit innings against Walljasper until Schaper blasted the first pitch of the fourth all the way back to the left field wall for double. Cheek advanced pinch runner Kelsee Henson to third base. After Mallory Peyton struck out swinging, Hinz blooped an RBI single to shallow left to give Kentucky the lead.
Kentucky struck again in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Cheek slapped a scorcher to up the middle for a single. After Grace Baalman, crushed her second-career at-bat to the warning track in left field, Cheek stole second base. Brining Hinz back to the plate, and for the second time on the day, she brought a runner home, this time with a double.
Walljasper, a senior, threw six complete innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits. She walked three Wildcat batters and struck out one.
Kentucky looks to complete a series sweep tomorrow night at 7:30 P.M. The game will be nationally televised on the SEC Network.
