Vols take Game 1 from Cats
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated.com
@JDrumUK
Tennessee stages late comeback with a pair of eighth-inning home runs to beat Kentucky 4-2 in opener of a three-game series in Lexington.
Alerick Soularie took a cut in Thursday's game at Kentucky Proud Park. The Tennessee outfielder hit a game-winning, two-run homer in the eighth inning.
Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Tennessee got a pair of eighth-inning home runs on Thursday to rally past Kentucky, 4-2, in the opener of a three-game SEC series.
Alerick Soularie got the No. 22 Volunteers on the comeback path by smashing a two-run homer deep over the left-field fence at Kentucky Proud Park to put the visitors ahead 3-2. Pete Derkay followed with a pinch-hit homer to give UT an insurance run.
Kentucky (20-18, 4-12 SEC) could not get anything brewing in the eighth or ninth innings as the Cats lost the opening game of an SEC series for the fifth time in six tries.
Soularie, a junior college transfer who is batting .384 for the Vols, went deep for the 10th time this season.
Both teams got a strong effort from their starting pitchers. Tennessee (28-11, 7-9 SEC) had left-hander Garrett Crouchet work 6.2 innings, allowing only two runs on six hits while striking out eight.
Kentucky's Jimmy Ramsey looked poised to pick up a win after holding the Vols to just one run on three hits over six innings on the mound. The sophomore right-hander struck out seven in one of the best outings of his career with the Cats.
The game's only run that did not score via clearing the fence came in the first inning. Tennessee's Jay Charleston led off with a triple to deep left-center and came around to score on Max Ferguson's RBI single.
Ryan Shinn and T.J. Collett both hit solo home runs for Kentucky in the sixth inning to give the Cats a 2-1 lead. It remained that way until the Vols got to UK reliever Daniel Harper (3-2) for two long balls in the eighth inning.
Andrew Schultz (2-0) picked up the win for UT, working 1.2 scoreless innings. Redmond Walsh came in to slam the door in the ninth inning, picking up his seventh save.
Tempers flared after the final out was recorded. The umpire crew had to separate the teams after it appeared that Walsh and UK pinch hitter Orlando Adams had exchanged words after a strikeout to end the game.
The series resumes on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated.com
@JDrumUK
Tennessee stages late comeback with a pair of eighth-inning home runs to beat Kentucky 4-2 in opener of a three-game series in Lexington.
Alerick Soularie took a cut in Thursday's game at Kentucky Proud Park. The Tennessee outfielder hit a game-winning, two-run homer in the eighth inning.
Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Tennessee got a pair of eighth-inning home runs on Thursday to rally past Kentucky, 4-2, in the opener of a three-game SEC series.
Alerick Soularie got the No. 22 Volunteers on the comeback path by smashing a two-run homer deep over the left-field fence at Kentucky Proud Park to put the visitors ahead 3-2. Pete Derkay followed with a pinch-hit homer to give UT an insurance run.
Kentucky (20-18, 4-12 SEC) could not get anything brewing in the eighth or ninth innings as the Cats lost the opening game of an SEC series for the fifth time in six tries.
Soularie, a junior college transfer who is batting .384 for the Vols, went deep for the 10th time this season.
Both teams got a strong effort from their starting pitchers. Tennessee (28-11, 7-9 SEC) had left-hander Garrett Crouchet work 6.2 innings, allowing only two runs on six hits while striking out eight.
Kentucky's Jimmy Ramsey looked poised to pick up a win after holding the Vols to just one run on three hits over six innings on the mound. The sophomore right-hander struck out seven in one of the best outings of his career with the Cats.
The game's only run that did not score via clearing the fence came in the first inning. Tennessee's Jay Charleston led off with a triple to deep left-center and came around to score on Max Ferguson's RBI single.
Ryan Shinn and T.J. Collett both hit solo home runs for Kentucky in the sixth inning to give the Cats a 2-1 lead. It remained that way until the Vols got to UK reliever Daniel Harper (3-2) for two long balls in the eighth inning.
Andrew Schultz (2-0) picked up the win for UT, working 1.2 scoreless innings. Redmond Walsh came in to slam the door in the ninth inning, picking up his seventh save.
Tempers flared after the final out was recorded. The umpire crew had to separate the teams after it appeared that Walsh and UK pinch hitter Orlando Adams had exchanged words after a strikeout to end the game.
The series resumes on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
