Tigers Take Series Finale Against UTSA in Back-and-Forth Contest

Sunday, March 16

Memphis, Tenn.

2 PM

University of Memphis

14-15, 3-3

UTSA

13-13, 1-5

UTSA

Memphis

Photo by: Steven Spehar

Tigers Take Series Finale Against UTSA in Back-and-Forth Contest

Mar 16, 2025 | Softball

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis Tigers (14-15, 3-3 AAC) softball secured its first conference series win since the 2019 season with a 9-8 victory over UTSA (13-13, 1-5 AAC) on Sunday.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Memphis was in a deficit in the early stage of the game, when Sabrina Wick scored Skylar Rucker on a groundout.
- Rucker had reached base to lead off the game due to a fielding error.
After going scoreless in the first inning, the Tigers strung multiple at-bats together to take the lead in the bottom of the second inning.
- Ariel Davis hit an RBI single to score Zoe Adebayo.
- The following at-bat, Faith Brown hit a sacrifice fly that allowed McKalyee Polk to score.
- A bunt single off the bat of Shelby Durbin scored Memphis' third run of the inning.
Kalee Rochinski tied the game in the following half inning with a two-RBI single.
A wild pitch allowed Arianna Cox-Cole to score in the bottom of the third inning to give the Tigers a lead.
- In the fifth inning, Katia Reyes slugged a three-run home run to give UTSA momentum.
With the bases loaded, Memphis plated two runs from a hard-hit groundball off the bat of Ariel Davis to tie the game at six runs each.
A second sacrifice fly from Faith Brown scored Drue Thomas to put Memphis ahead.
- Thomas had entered as a pinch runner after McKaylee Polk drew a walk.
The Roadrunners took hold of momentum with a two-run single in the top of the sixth inning that allowed them to retake the lead.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Memphis walked and reached on an error in two consecutive at-bats. Zoe Adebayo stepped up and delivered with a two-RBI double to give the Tigers a one-run lead.
In her second inning of relief, Jericho Tate held UTSA scoreless in the final frame to earn the victory despite the Roadrunners loading the bases with two outs.
- A crucial call on a fielder's choice was reviewed and upheld when McKaylee Polk threw out the potential game-tying run at home.

NOTABLES

Memphis has tied its overall and conference win totals from the previous two seasons combined.
- The Tigers earned six total victories and one conference victory in 2024, along with eight wins in total and two conference wins in 2023.
The Tigers clinched their first conference series victory since the 2019 season when they took two games out of three against East Carolina.
- That season was also the last time that Memphis held at least a .500 winning percentage in conference play at any point in the season.
Memphis' current conference win total is the highest since the 2019 season when the Tigers finished the campaign with three wins in American Athletic Conference play.
This game featured six lead changes, the most in a Memphis game this season.
Zoe Adebayo went 1-for-1 at the plate, recording a double while drawing three walks.
- She now holds the highest batting average (.377) on the team.
- Adebayo also has an active hitting-streak of eight games, one game shy of the team high, which is shared by Kennedy Semien and Neely Taylor at nine games in a row with a hit.
Arianna Cox-Cole finished the day with one hit in two at-bats, recording three runs scored, two walks and a stolen base.
- She leads the Tigers with 11 stolen bases through 29 games played.
Neely Taylor made her 29th consecutive start and is still the only Tiger to have started every game this season.
Ariel Davis had one hit and one RBI on the day, while also bringing in two more runs on a batted ball that resulted in a fielding error.
Three Tigers (Zoe Adebayo, Kennedy Semien, Neely Taylor) are batting above the .370-mark after 29 games played.

UP NEXT
Memphis travels to Denton to take on the North Texas Mean Green from March 21-23. All three games will be available on ESPN+.

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.