Peyton Plotts blasts three-run homer as Kentucky takes first lead vs. Auburn
Peyton Plotts had just what Kentucky softball needed coming out of a lengthy weather delay Saturday evening vs. Auburn. With the Wildcats up to bat for the first time and trailing 2-0 after a nearly two-hour pause, they managed to get a couple runners on base before Plotts stepped to the plate.
The freshman connected with just the second pitch she saw to drive in three runs as the ball sailed to deep left center and over the fence. That allowed UK to take a 3-2 advantage for its first lead of the game. You can view the moment below.
The home run was the seventh of the season for Plotts, ranking her tied for third among her teammates. She has a batting average of .316 with 26 hits and 23 RBI on the year.
A Lexington native, Plotts has been a major addition for Kentucky this season. Although the home run was her only hit of the game in four at bats, it ended up perhaps being the biggest play of the day as it gave the Wildcats the momentum needed to pull out the win.
Kentucky went on to add two more runs with another homer from Taylor Ebbs to increase its lead to 5-2. That would ultimately be the score the Wildcats won by as Auburn was held scoreless over the final four innings. Erin Coffel finished 2-for-3 at the plate to lead the team in addition to scoring a pair of runs.
UK held the Tigers to only one hit on the evening but allowed them to score two runs thanks to a pair of errors in the third inning. However, it was all Wildcats from the moment play resumed following a weather delay that began in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Although Stephanie Shoonover started the day at pitcher, it would ultimately be Jaden Vickers who finished things out and earned the win. She pitched the final 3.1 innings to strike out four batters and allow only one hit.
Kentucky improved to 28-15 (6-10 SEC) with the win and took a 1-0 lead in the series against Auburn with Saturday’s victory. The two teams will next face each other at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday and then again on Monday to close out the series.