Kentucky Drops See-Saw Affair With No. 3 Tennessee on Thursday
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Softball team lost a see-saw affair Thursday night in Knoxville, Tennessee as the Wildcats dropped an 8-3 decision to No. 3 Tennessee in the opener of the final three-game Southeastern Conference series of the season.
Erin Coffel gave Kentucky the first lead of the game in the top of the third inning, as she singled into left field with Delani Sullivan scoring from second base as UK edged out in front for the first run of the contest. The Lady Vols responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a miscommunication in the Kentucky defense and the Wildcats used a Lauryn Borzilleri home run to tie the game in the fifth to tie the game at 3-3.
The No. 3 Lady Vols got back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the fifth to re-take the lead at 5-3 and hung onto the lead from there as Kentucky stranded two runners in scoring position to end the top of the frame prior in a chance to go ahead in the opener.
With the win, Tennessee improves to 38-9 on the season and is now 17-5 in the Southeastern Conference. The Lady Vols are now one win away from clinching a share of the SEC championship, and can do it with a win on Friday or Saturday. Kentucky with the loss falls to 30-18 and is now 8-14 in the league.
Game two of the series will be Friday night at 6 p.m. ET on SEC Network+ from Knoxville, Tennessee.
Key Play
The key play came in the top of the fifth inning as Lauryn Borzilleri belted a two-run home run to left field with a runner on to re-tie the game after Tennessee jumped out to a 3-1 lead.
Key Player
Kentucky’s key player was Lauryn Borzilleri who went 3-for-3 with a run scored on a home run and a pair of RBI. She was one of two players, joining Rylea Smith, to have multiple hits in the contest.
Key Stat
5/7. Five out of the seven runs that Tennessee scored came with two outs in the inning, as the Lady Vols got a two-run single by Zaida Puni in the bottom of the fourth inning and a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, all with two outs.
Run Recap
In the top of the third inning, Erin Coffel ripped an RBI single into left field with two on and two outs as pinch runner Delani Sullivan scored from second base on a terrific slide to the outside part of the base to plate the game’s first run. UK 1, UT 0
In the bottom of the fourth, Kiki Milloy singled with two outs to plate the game-tying run and then in shallow left field, a ball off the bat of Puni dropped on a miscommunication as two more came across and Tennessee took the 3-1 lead. UT 3, UK 1
After Jenna Blanton singled to lead off the top of the fifth inning, Borzilleri hit a two-run home run to tie the game as Kentucky responded with a punch back that chased Karlyn Pickens from the game. UT 3, UK 3
In the bottom of the fifth, Tennessee led off the inning with back-to-back home runs to take a 5-3 lead. UT 5, UK 3
Tennessee’s Taylor Pannell hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning. FINAL – Tennessee 8, Kentucky 3
NEW for 2024 – The Kentucky Softball Designated Players Club
The Designated Players is the Official Booster Program of Kentucky Softball. Financial contributions and community support through The Designated Players program, Kentucky Softball will be able to continue to develop our student-athletes on and off the field. To join The Designated Players, you can join online or click here to download the membership form and mail to the address listed. For more information, email Kristine Himes at kentuckysoftball@uky.edu or Larry Cash at Larry.Cash@uky.edu.
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