LEXINGTON, Ky. – Freshman Allie Blum hit her third-career home run in the bottom of the fourth inning and freshman pitcher Julie Kelley earned her first-career win in the circle Saturday afternoon as the No. 23 Kentucky Softball team clinched the series against Missouri with a 5-4 win over the Tigers at John Cropp Stadium.
Blum cranked out the third longball of her freshman campaign to make things 5-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning as Kentucky took a game-high four-run lead. The Tigers stormed back with a three spot in the top of the fifth on a three-run home run of their own, but Julie Kelley, Carson Fall and Sarah Haendiges, all newcomers to the Kentucky rotation, closed the door on the Tigers with zeros in the sixth and seventh.
Ally Hutchins went 3-for-3 in the five spot Saturday afternoon, scoring a pair of runs and launching her fourth home run of the season to lead off the bottom of a three-run fourth for the Kentucky offense. Cassie Reasner, who homered in Friday night’s win over the Tigers, hammered a two-run shot in the bottom of the second inning to give Kentucky the 2-1 lead early on. Hutchins, Reasner and a two-hit day for Lauryn Borzilleri combined for seven of UK’s eight hits in the contest.
Haendiges came in for the top of the sixth inning and got UK out of a two-on, two-out jam, and then did the same in the top of the seventh inning with a strikeout looking to Tigers leadoff batter, Julia Crenshaw.
With the win Saturday, UK is now 16-6 on the season, a year-high 10 games over the .500 mark and sits 2-0 in league play. The Tigers are now 11-12 in 2025 and are 0-2 in the SEC. The three-game Southeastern Conference series wraps up Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network with Alex Perlman and Maddie Shipman on the call from Lexington.
Blum’s Cranks Third Homer as Kentucky Clinches SEC Series Win – UK Athletics​
Blum cranked out the third longball of her freshman campaign to make things 5-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning as Kentucky took a game-high four-run lead. The Tigers stormed back with a three spot in the top of the fifth on a three-run home run of their own, but Julie Kelley, Carson Fall and Sarah Haendiges, all newcomers to the Kentucky rotation, closed the door on the Tigers with zeros in the sixth and seventh.
Ally Hutchins went 3-for-3 in the five spot Saturday afternoon, scoring a pair of runs and launching her fourth home run of the season to lead off the bottom of a three-run fourth for the Kentucky offense. Cassie Reasner, who homered in Friday night’s win over the Tigers, hammered a two-run shot in the bottom of the second inning to give Kentucky the 2-1 lead early on. Hutchins, Reasner and a two-hit day for Lauryn Borzilleri combined for seven of UK’s eight hits in the contest.
Haendiges came in for the top of the sixth inning and got UK out of a two-on, two-out jam, and then did the same in the top of the seventh inning with a strikeout looking to Tigers leadoff batter, Julia Crenshaw.
With the win Saturday, UK is now 16-6 on the season, a year-high 10 games over the .500 mark and sits 2-0 in league play. The Tigers are now 11-12 in 2025 and are 0-2 in the SEC. The three-game Southeastern Conference series wraps up Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network with Alex Perlman and Maddie Shipman on the call from Lexington.
Blum’s Cranks Third Homer as Kentucky Clinches SEC Series Win – UK Athletics​