Tigers Struggle Against No. 24 Kentucky, Game vs. Dayton Canceled

Saturday, February 22

Atlanta, Ga.

11 AM

University of Memphis

8-5

Kentucky

8-5

Memphis

Kentucky

Photo by: Steven Spehar

Tigers Struggle Against No. 24 Kentucky, Game vs. Dayton Canceled

Feb 22, 2025 | Softball

Box Score

ATLANTA – Tigers softball fell by mercy rule to No. 24 Kentucky, 9-1, Saturday afternoon. Memphis' game against Dayton scheduled for 5 p.m. CST was canceled due to electrical issues at Kennesaw State.

HOW IT HAPPENED

No. 24 Kentucky established a lead early, plating five runs in the bottom of the first inning after sitting Memphis down in order to start the game.
- Three runs were scored on the combination of a passed ball, wild pitch and a bases-loaded walk.
After both sides went quietly in the second inning, Memphis stopped Kentucky's bid for a shutout. Shelby Durbin singled to lead off the inning and later scored off a Kennedy Semien RBI double.
Freshman Jericho Tate came in in relief of starter Rylee Dugar and settled down to pitch 2.2 innings, keeping Kentucky scoreless in the second and third innings.
After Lyrical Bennett entered in the bottom of the fourth, Kentucky plated four runs from a Delani Sullivan RBI single that was followed up by a three-run home run by Allie Blum.
Starting pitcher Julie Kelley threw a complete game, striking out four batters and only allowing three hits.

NOTABLES

Kentucky's five runs in the first inning came on just one hit.
- Five Wildcats were walked in the first inning, with 10 walks issued over the course of the game.
Neely Taylor's streak of consecutive games reaching base to begin the season was snapped after 12 games.
- Taylor was 0-for-2 at the plate against Kentucky.
Four qualified batters for Memphis (Kennedy Semien, Neely Taylor, Zoe Adebayo, Taniyah Brown) hold an OPS above 1.000.
Kennedy Semien now leads the Tigers in batting average (.459), hits (17), runs (10), walks (7) and is second on the team with 11 RBIs.
The Memphis pitching staff has currently recorded 59 strikeouts through 13 games, reaching the mark faster than during the 2024 season, where it took the Tigers 16 games to reach that mark.

UP NEXT
The Tigers close out the I-75 Challenge with a doubleheader against Georgia State at 10 a.m. CST and 12:30 p.m. CST.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For complete information on Memphis Tigers Softball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram , and Facebook.