The two teams will close out the series Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPNU.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The sixth-ranked Florida softball team fell Saturday afternoon, 7-2, in the second game of the series against No. 15 Tennessee at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
The Gators (26-5, 4-4 SEC) picked up a two-out, two-run home run from sophomore Emily Wilkie in the bottom of the 7th inning to close down the Lady Vols (22-8, 5-2) lead, but UT’s offense provided enough of a cushion earlier in the game for reliever Bailey McCachren (4-2) to earn the victory.
Tennessee opened the scoring in the top of the 1st inning of play when KiKi Milloy scored during Amanda Ayala’s at-bat where she put the ball in play. Milloy led off the inning with a hit-by-pitch, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch.
The Lady Vols went on to push across three more runs each in the top half of the 3rd and 5th innings to extend its lead out to 7-0. Lair Beautae scored pinch-runner Katie Taylor with a double to right center and Zaida Puni lifted a home run to left field in the 3rd inning.
In the home half of the 4th inning the Gators drew a pair of walks from fifth year Hannah Adams and senior Charla Echols, but Tennessee worked itself out of the jam when it forced back-to-back flyouts.
Puni drove in two more in the 5th inning with a double off the third base bag that score Milloy and Beautae and Rylie West brought home Beautae on a sacrifice fly to center field.
Florida threated again in the bottom of the 5th inning with back-to-back two-out singles from Wilkie and sophomore Katie Kistler, but UT again pitched itself out of trouble.
The Gators and the Lady Vols are set to close out the series Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPNU.
Notables:
* Sophomore Emily Wilkie notched her first multi-hit game of the season with a single in the 5th and a two-run home run in the 7th inning.
* It’s also her first multi-RBI game of the year and the home run was her first of the season as well.
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