AUBURN, Ala. (School release) --
No. 11 Tennessee exploded out of the gate with a six-run first and rallied back with a three-run fifth, but nine runs would not be enough on Saturday as the Lady Vols fell to No. 7 Auburn, 12-9.
Tennessee took command of the game early with a six-run first inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Rainey Gaffinclubbed a two-run double to left center, plating Shaliyah Geathers and Annie Aldrete. Megan Geer followed with a two-run single to center field and Cheyanne Tarango drove in a run with a hit down the left field line. Two batters later Meghan Gregg hit an RBI single up the middle to give UT a 6-0 lead.
Auburn scored one run in the bottom of the first. With runners on the corners and one out, Branndi Melero hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Tiffany Howard from third base.
The Tigers clawed their way back with five runs in the second inning to tie the game at 6-6. With one out, Jenna Abbott hit an RBI double to left field. After Erin Gabriel relieved UT starter Gretchen Aucoin in the circle, Auburn added four more runs with two outs. Howard hit an RBI triple to left center, Emily Carosone hit an RBI single through the right side and Kasey Cooper hit a two-run homer to center field.
Auburn pulled ahead, 8-6, in the bottom of the third inning when Morgan Estell hit a two-run homer to right field off a full-count pitch from Gabriel.
In the bottom of the fourth, Haley Fagan hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score Cooper and push Auburn's lead to 9-6.
The Lady Vols rallied with three runs in the fifth inning to knot the game at 9-9. With one out and the bases loaded, Tory Lewis hit an RBI bloop single to left field, scoring Scarlet McSwain. Gregg followed with a bases-loaded walk on a full count to plate Geer. Geathers then tied the game when she grounded out to second base and drove in Cheyanne Tarango.
The Tigers reclaimed the lead with a three-run sixth. Auburn took an 11-9 lead in the bottom of the sixth when Melero hit a one-out, two-run homer to center field. Three batters later Estell drove in AU's 12th run on a groundout to second base.
Tennessee next hosts Eastern Kentucky on Tuesday, April 7, for a doubleheader starting at 5 p.m. ET. Both games will feature online video broadcasts via SEC Network +/WatchESPN. Next weekend, UT hosts LSU for a three-game series from April 10-12. The Friday and Sunday games of the UT-LSU series will have online video broadcasts via SEC Network +/WatchESPN and the Saturday game will be televised live on ESPN.
