#14 Softball Shut Out by WKU, 2-0

Tuesday, March 17

Knoxville, Tenn.

6:00 PM

University of Tennessee

19-6

Western Kentucky

11-5

Western Kentucky

Tennessee

March 17, 2015 | Softball

Box Score

March 17, 2015

Box Score |  Photo Gallery 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee's bats struggled to get going on Tuesday as the No. 14 Lady Vols fell to Western Kentucky, 2-0, at Lee Stadium.

Tennessee (19-6) ran into one of the top pitchers in the nation as Western Kentucky's (11-5) Miranda Kramer (8-4) ranked first in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings (12.9) and 14th in total strikeouts (130) entering Tuesday.

Kramer held UT to just two hits and struck out 14 over seven scoreless frames. She also walked three batters.

Rainey Gaffin (triple in the third inning) and Annie Aldrete (single in the sixth inning) had the Lady Vols' only two hits of the game.

Cheyanne Tarango (0-1) made her first start of the season, going 2.2 frames with two runs allowed and one strikeouts. Gaffin had two strikeouts over 2.1 scoreless relief frames and Gretchen Aucoin pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh with one strikeout.

Western Kentucky took a 2-0 lead in the third inning. With two outs, Larissa Franklin hit a ball to left field that was lost in the sun, resulting in an RBI triple and scoring Jacqueline McGill from first base. Shawna Sadler followed with an RBI single up the middle.

Gaffin hit a one-out triple down the right field line in the bottom of the third, but UT left her stranded as WKU starter Miranda Kramer struck out Meghan Gregg and induced a Megan Geer flyout to right field.

Aldrete reached base with a two-out bloop single to center field in the bottom of the sixth. However, Tennessee could not late the run as Kramer induced a groundout to third with the next at-bat.

Tennessee will play its first SEC home series of the year this weekend when it hosts No. 18 Missouri for three games from March 20-22 at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. Friday's game will feature a live online broadcast on SEC Network + at 6:30 p.m. ET. Saturday's game will be televised on SEC Network at 8:30 p.m. ET. The series will conclude on Sunday with Game 3 at 1:30 p.m. ET.