#11 UT Falls To #5 Alabama, 3-1

Friday, April 24

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

7:30 PM

University of Tennessee

36-12, 12-8

#5 Alabama

37-11, 13-7

Tennessee

Alabama

April 24, 2015 | Softball

Box Score

April 24, 2015

Box Score

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Taylor Koenig homered in the second inning and No. 11 Tennessee rallied late with two runners on base in the seventh, but the Lady Vols came up short on Friday in a 3-1 loss to No. 5 Alabama at Rhoads Stadium.

Tennessee opened the seventh with back-to-back hits by Shaliyah Geathers and Gretchen Aucoin. However, Alabama starter Leslie Jury induced a pair of groundouts and reliever Sydney Littlejohn induced a Megan Geer flyout down the left field line.

The season series is now tied at 1-1. Game 3 is Saturday at 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET.

Koenig finished 2-for-3 with the solo homer. Meghan Gregg had a single and two walks.

Cheyanne Tarango (4-3) threw six frames and tallied one strikeout and three runs allowed.

Jury earned the win after throwing 6.2 frames with one run allowed. Littlejohn earned her first save on the season after recording the game's final out with two runners on base.

UT left 11 runners on base in the loss and Alabama stranded 10.

Tennessee loaded the bases in the top of the first, but Jury worked her way out of the jam. With one out, Geathers and Gregg drew back-to-back walks and Aucoin was hit by a pitch. Jury left all three stranded, fanning Annie Aldrete and getting Geer to ground out to the circle.

Koenig hit a solo home run in the second inning to give Tennessee a 1-0 lead. Koenig led off the inning and hammered a full-count pitch off Jury over the wall in left for her team-high 15th blast of the season.

Alabama took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Danielle Richard hit an RBI single through the left side to score pinch runner Rachel Bobo. Demi Turner gave the Crimson Tide the lead when she grounded out to second base, plating Leona Lafaele from third base.

The Crimson Tide added one more run in the sixth inning when Richard scored from third base on a wild pitch.

Tennessee and Alabama will conclude this week's three-game series on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET. The game will feature a live online broadcast via SEC Network +/WatchESPN. Fans can view the game by logging in with their cable or satellite accounts.