LEXINGTON, Ky. — In the series finale against No.8-ranked Kentucky, Tennessee fell behind early and struggled to catch up as the Wildcats took a 7-2 win on Sunday at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

With the loss, Tennessee now stands at 26-22 (7-18 SEC), while the Wildcats move to 36-16 and 18-9 in conference play this year.

At the plate, freshmen Justin Ammons (2-for-5) and Luc Lipcius (2-for-5) each recorded multi-hit games, while Matt Waldren and Max Bartlett brought in UT’s two runs.

Given the help of a two-run triple by Riley Mahan, Kentucky jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first frame.

In the fourth, a single and back-to-back walks issued by UK starter Justin Lewis loaded the bases for Tennessee. Waldren was then hit by a pitch before Bartlett drew a bases-loaded walk to cut the Cats’ lead in half at 4-2.

An RBI-single up the middle by UK’s Zach Reks gave the Cats a 5-2 advantage in the bottom of the fourth, where the score would hold until the seventh. A leadoff walk by designated hitter Luke Becker and a double by Mahan then put runners in scoring position for an RBI-single by catcher Troy Squires, making it 6-2.

A solo home run by Wildcats’ right fielder Tristan Pompey in the eighth made it a 7-2 ballgame.

Zach Warren struggled in his 11th start of the year, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits over 2.1 innings.

Freshman Zach Linginfelter dealt 4.0 innings in middle relief, allowing two runs while fanning two batters.

Righty Andrew Schultz then threw 1.0 inning before handing the ball over to recent Tennessee graduate Jon Lipinski, who finished the game for UT by retiring his two batters faced.

TENNESSEE QUICK HITS

• With the loss, Tennessee moves to 156-140 in its all-time series against Kentucky, including a 54-44 mark in games played in Lexington, Kentucky.
• Jordan Rodgers furthered his team-leading runs scored count to 38 with his 1-for-5 effort on Sunday.
• With four hit batters vs. Kentucky, the Vols’ lineup tied its most times hit by pitch this season (last, vs. Belmont on May 9).
• Sunday’s attendance at Cliff Hagan Stadium: 3,085
• On Deck for the Vols: Tennessee will host Morehead State for its final midweek matchup of the season, slated for 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 16 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. UT then welcomes the Missouri Tigers to Rocky Top for the final SEC series of the regular season (May 18-20).

-UT Athletics