COLUMBIA, Mo. – Tennessee softball’s run for a third SEC Tournament championship came to a halt on Friday afternoon in a 10-2 loss to top seed and No. 4-ranked Florida Gators at Mizzou Softball Stadium in semifinal action.
Florida (49-8) scored three runs in the first inning when Nicole DeWitt hit her first of two home runs on the day – the first being a two-run home run to right field to score Amanda Lorenz. The Gators scored their third run on an RBI single by Janell Wheaton that scored Kayli Kvistad.
The Gators added four runs in the bottom of the second. DeWitt hit a three-run home run to center field that scored Lorenz and Jaimie Hoover. Three batters later, Wheaton doubled to center field to give Florida a 7-0 lead.
Tennessee (45-12) scored two runs in the top half of the third, when SEC All-Freshman selectee Ashley Morgan hit a double off the right field wall to score Treasury Poindexter, who pinch ran for All-SEC shortstop Meghan Gregg, and All-SEC honoree Aubrey Leach.
Leach scored for the 74th team this season and in doing so, tied the single-season record for runs scored along with former Lady Vol Bridget Jackson.
Florida went on to add a run in the bottom of the fourth, and two more in the bottom of the fifth, on their way to the 10-2 victory.
Matty Moss (17-6) got the loss, going three innings and allowing six runs, five of which were earned. Caylan Arnold pitched one and a half innings in relief, allowing four runs.
Up Next:
Tennessee will await its placement in the NCAA Women’s College Softball Tournament. The selection show will be on Sunday, May 13 at 10 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
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