Cheek’s Home Run Not Enough to Fend off No. 17 Tennessee

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Abbey Cheek clubbed her third home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth inning, but it wasn’t enough offense to fend off the No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers, who won their 12th game in a row and clinched the series win with a 5-2 victory. 

The Vols scored the first five runs of the game before Kentucky’s offense pulled through with a long ball from Cheek in the bottom of the sixth inning. The win secures the series for Tennessee, with the two teams tangling tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET in the finale as the Wildcats look to salvage something from the three-game set. 

The game will be shown live on the SEC Network+, ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app with Dave Baker and former Purdue head coach Carol Bruggeman on the call from John Cropp Stadium. 

Kentucky drops its third game in a row for the first time in over a calendar year, as the Wildcats fall to 24-10 overall and dip a game below .500 in the SEC at 5-6. Tennessee wins its season-high 12th in a row to move to 34-5, 8-3 SEC. 

1,440. The number of fans that packed into John Cropp Stadium on Saturday afternoon, just a few hundred shy of a sell out. The attendance was a season-high for the Wildcats as UK celebrated Military Appreciation Day. 

In the top of the first inning, a UK error prolonged the Vols inning, and Scarlet McSwain made the UK defense pay with a two-RBI single over the head of the UK infield to put UT up. 

Abbey Cheek was the key player for UK, scoring her seventh home run of the season, which now leads the UK offense. The runs scored snapped a 20-inning scoreless streak for the UK offense. 

In the top of the first inning, a UK error prolonged the Vols inning, and Scarlet McSwain made the UK defense pay with a two-RBI single over the head of the UK infield to put UT up. UT 2, UK 0

Tennessee added on a run in the second inning as Brooke Vines hit an RBI single to score Katie Weimer, who led off the inning with a walk. UT 3, UK 0

The Vols made it four runs in the third inning, as again, a lead-off walk came around to score in the form of Scarlet McSwain, as she was brought home by an RBI double by Abby Lockman. UT 4, UK 0

The fifth Tennessee run was scored in the top of the fifth inning, as the two-out rallies continued with Weimer doubling home Chelsea Seggern. UT 5, UK 0

Kentucky scored its only two runs of the game in the bottom of the sixth with an Abbey Cheek home run to score Madison Kearschner, who was running for Alex Martens, who led off the inning with a walk. FINAL – No. 17 Tennessee 5, No. 20 Kentucky 2

For the latest on the Kentucky softball team, follow @UKSoftball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.