Mallory Peyton rounds the bases after her 12th homer of the season Saturday. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky was teetering on the brink of NCAA Tournament elimination when senior Mallory Peyton put an end to that anxiety. She roped a bullet down the left-field line in the third inning against Northwestern Saturday to drive in two runs and put UK ahead for good in a 7-2 elimination game win in the NCAA Tournament regional.
Kentucky coach Rachel Lawson understood the significance of Peyton’s hit. The Cats had been dominated 12-3 by Notre Dame earlier Saturday and looked just as sluggish against Northwestern when Peyton changed the game’s momentum.
“The last few weeks and I do not want to jinx it, she has had so much confidence in the (batter’s) box,” Lawson said. “This morning (against Notre Dame) we could not find our rhythm. She looked in control and knew what she was doing. She not only came up with key hits but she gave confidence to the rest of our hitters and team.”
Peyton added a solo home run that rocketed over the left-field fence in the fifth inning to make it 3-1 but Lawson said the double was a “relief” and made the team believe it could win.”We
had a couple of key (defensive) plays but that double was probably the key play,” Lawson said. “It was a punch to the other team. We had been jabbing but that (double) was a big deal for us.”
The home run was a “big deal” to Peyton. It was her 12th homer of the season and produced her 49th RBI. She is now hitting .301 with a team-high 14 doubles despite being limited after breaking a bone in her hand when she was hit by a pitch against Alabama about two months ago.
Peyton was pumping her fist just a few steps out of the batter’s box after her home run swing. That was a rare show of emotion for the senior.
“It was a little bit of relief, a little bit of emotion,” Peyton said. “This is a very heavy time. You could play your last game any time. I think I was excited to do that for my team.”
