Kentucky Forges Twinbill Split With Tennessee, 7-4

Wednesday, March 21

Knoxville, Tenn.

University of Tennessee

13-18, 3-5

Kentucky

15-17, 2-5

Kentucky

Tennessee

March 21, 2001 | Softball

Box Score

3/21/2001 UT vs. Kentucky: Game 1 | Game 2

Shortstop Angie Dal Pozzo Goes 2-for-3 with Three-Run Homer to Lead Wildcats

Box Score

Defending Eastern Division champion Kentucky earned a split of Wednesday afternoon's Southeastern Conference doubleheader with the Lady Vols by earning a 7-4 triumph in the second game at Tyson Park. Tennessee slips to 13-18 overall and 3-5 in the SEC with the setback, while the Wildcats halted a four-game slide to improve to 15-17 overall and 2-5 in league action. Leigh Ann Ellis and Maria Torres (background)

Kentucky started the scoring in the top of the third, helped by a damaging Lady Vol error. Freshman southpaw Leigh Ann Ellis apparently fanned Beth Fogle for the final out of the frame but the pitch eluded catcher Maura Mollet to let the batter reach first. Outfielder Leslie Kwiatkowski then laced her second double of the afternoon, a shot down the right field line, to score Fogle all the way from first base.

Nicole Johnson The Orange notched the equalizer in bottom of the stanza, as Mollet and junior first baseman Maria Torres recorded back-to-back singles off UK hurler Jennifer Howland to begin the inning. Junior Adrianna Wilson then executed a perfect bunt to advance her teammates over to second and third before junior pinch hitter Hannah Low reached on an infield error to drive in Mollet. Tennessee's bid to take the lead on a two-out single by senior Melissa Radley was snuffed out when left fielder Tiffany Kruse gunned down freshman pinch runner Nicole Johnson at the plate.

The Wildcats went back in front during the fourth, as Kruse slammed a double to right center field with one down to drive in shortstop Angie Dal Pozzo. Previously, Dal Pozzo reached an infield hit and strolled down to second on Rachel Friberg's walk.

The visitors from Lexington broke the game open with four runs on three hits in the fifth to assume a 6-1 cushion. Fogle drew a leadoff walk and would later reach second on a one-out bunt single by Nikki Jones. A base-hit up the middle off the bat of Lyndsey Angus allowed Fogle to score from second. Dal Pozzo then stepped to the dish and socked Ellis' 2-2 pitch over the left field fence for a three-run homer. The hit marked the first four-bagger that Ellis surrendered all season.

The Lady Vols then answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame to narrow the gap to 6-3. Torres poked a single into shallow right and senior Annie Fletcher laced a one-out flare into left to give UT a pair of runners on base. Koshell followed with an RBI single to score Torres and then Radley's fielder's choice was enough to drive in Fletcher.

Freshman left fielder Nikki Sexton pulled the home team to within 6-4 in the sixth on her first career homer, a solo blast to right field. Although Mollet came up and singled, Howland retired Torres and Wilson to preserve the two-run lead for the Wildcats. UK added a single run in the seventh on a two-out, bases loaded single by Andrea Eilertson to finalize the margin at 7-4.

Tennessee ripped a season-high 12 hits and lost for the first time in 2001 when the team scored more than three runs. Howland went the distance for the Blue and White to boost her record in the circle to 5-7. Meanwhile, Ellis fanned six and yielded nine hits and six earned runs to fall to 2-6. Her team-best earned run average rose to 1.62 after the lefty entered the outing at 0.99.

Dal Pozzo paced the UK effort with two hits, while the quintet of Koshell (2-for-4), Mollet (2-for-3), Radley (2-for-4), Sexton (2-for-3) and Torres (2-for-3) spearheaded the Lady Vol offensive attack.

Tennessee resumes action on Saturday when unbeaten #4 Alabama (25-0/6-0 SEC) visits Knoxville to begin a three-game series. The Lady Vols and Crimson Tide will start the twinbill at 2 p.m. at Tyson Park.