Tennessee baseball blundered the lead late, falling to Kentucky on the road Friday night.
In a top-four matchup in Lexington, Kentucky, the Wildcats made fewer mistakes en route to a 5-3 win over the Vols.
Hunter Ensley led the way offensively for No. 4 Tennessee (31-7, 10-6) with a home run and two RBIs.
AJ Causey mowed down the No. 3 Kentucky (32-5, 15-1) lineup in relief, posting 6.1 innings pitched, five hits allowed and two earned runs while compiling seven strikeouts. However, the Wildcats took advantage after Causey’s exit, leading to the win.
Kentucky opened in the first inning with a threat. After striking a leadoff double and a hit-by-pitch, the Wildcats had runners on the corners while facing Vols’ left-handed pitcher Chris Stamos on the mound. Tennessee elected to change arms after just eight pitches, bringing Causey into the game. Causey shut down the threat and put the Vols back at the plate.
Tennessee used its bats in the second to vault to a lead. Kavares Tears drew a walk, where Ensley followed with a two-run opposite-field homer to put the Vols ahead 2-0.
The Wildcats earned a run back in the third inning. Leadoff hitter Ryan Waldschmidt stepped back to the plate, putting the ball over the wall for a solo shot. The blast cut the Tennessee lead down to one, 2-1.
Tennessee brought the next score across the plate in the fifth inning. Christian Moore singled through the left side, scoring Cal Stark and extending the lead back to two.
After loading the bases with one out in the seventh, the Wildcats scored on an RBI groundout. The run effectively ended Causey’s day, bringing Nate Snead to preserve the lead.
Kentucky, however, used it to take the lead. A smoked ball to the third base side, the ball snuck past Billy Amick’s glove, scoring two more. At the end of seven innings, Kentucky led 4-3.
Nolan McCarthy provided insurance for Kentucky in the eighth. With another solo bomb to left, the Wildcats pushed the lead to two runs.
Tennessee was unable to put together a rally in the ninth, falling for the seventh time this season.
The series continues Saturday with a 2 p.m. ET first pitch.
