No. 6 Tennessee softball team shows resilience

The sixth-ranked Tennessee softball team rebounded from a Friday evening collapse by outscoring No. 18 Kentucky 14-1 on Saturday and Sunday to secure a third straight Southeastern Conference series victory.

Kentucky (29-17, 6-14) slugged four home runs to win 9-8 on Friday. The Lady Volunteers (42-10, 12-9) won 8-1 on Saturday and 6-0 on Sunday.

Senior shortstop Meghan Gregg homered in the first inning Sunday in the final guaranteed home game of her storied collegiate career. The Lady Vols are likely candidates to host an NCAA regional next month, which would allow Gregg and three other seniors at least two more home games.

Gregg and junior second baseman Aubrey Leach were among the 25 finalists announced last week for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.

Tennessee closes the regular season with a three-game series at Mississippi State beginning Friday night. The Lady Vols are fifth in the SEC standings, and the league’s top four teams receive byes during the first round of the SEC tournament May 9-12 at Missouri.

Baseball Vols rally

The Tennessee baseball team lost a one-run lead in the ninth inning Sunday, then came back in the 10th to win 6-5 at No. 20 Georgia and avoid a sweep.

Justin Ammons doubled in the 10th, driving in Jay Charleston for the game-winning run. Freshman pitcher Garrett Crochet earned the win out of the bullpen for a second Sunday in a row for the Vols, who are trying to stay in contention for an SEC tournament bid.

Tennessee (25-21, 8-13) lost 8-6 on Friday and 12-4 on Saturday to the Bulldogs (30-14, 12-9). The Vols are 13th out of 14 teams in the SEC standings, and only the top 12 qualify for the league tournament. With two weekends of conference play remaining, they’re one game behind Missouri and two games behind Kentucky.

Kentucky visits Lindsey Nelson Stadium for a threegame series beginning Friday.

Charleston, a sophomore second baseman, paced the Vols offensively Sunday from the leadoff spot with four hits. Senior center fielder Brodie Leftridge had a three-run double in the second.

Junior pitcher Will Neely went 5 2/3 innings before Crochet took over.