SEC Softball Preview (4/8/17): Game times, TV schedule, live stream

Leading Off...

The Tennessee Volunteers continued their winning ways on Friday night with a 9-0 beatdown of Kentucky. The Vols run-ruled the Wildcats in five innings, this after an offensive explosion in the fourth where they scored just as many runs. The lead had been 5-0 entering the inning before things completely fell apart for 20th-ranked UK, who will get a shot at redemption later on Saturday.

The Wildcats weren’t the only ones to get shut out on Friday. The South Carolina Gamecocks stunted the Mississippi State Bulldogs, defeating them 3-0. State simply couldn’t ever get it going as they only were able to muster up five hits throughout the entire contest. The Gamecocks sprinkled their three runs across the seven innings, putting up one run each in the second, third and seventh and final inning.

In addition, Mizzou and Alabama pitched shutouts against Arkansas and LSU. The win for the Tigers does them some good as they’d been looking for SEC victories while the Crimson Tide meanwhile add to their already bountiful amount with their win over the the Bayou Bengals. Both LSU and the Hogs will be seeking revenge in Saturday’s contests in attempts to even up the series.

Auburn meanwhile didn’t pitch a shutout but did defeat Ole Miss 3-1. The Tigers faced a 1-0 deficit after the Rebels plated a run in the third but scored all of their runs in the fourth. The victory pushes sixth-ranked Auburn up to 32-5 on the year and 7-3 overall in conference play, a mark that ties them with LSU and Tennessee.

The lone nonconference slate went well for Texas A&M as the Aggies defeated former Big 12 rival Oklahoma State 9-2. In the Cowboys’ second true road game of the season, things didn’t go too well for them on their trip to College Station as the Ags took care of them rather effortlessly. They put up five runs in the first followed by another in the second, and by the end of the fourth the game was well out of reach with A&M leading 7-1. The Pokes avoided the run rule by scoring one in the fifth but two more runs for the Aggies were tacked on in the sixth, ultimately leading to Okie State’s demise.

Today’s schedule sees all of these matchups being repeated, plus a hotly contested encounter between Florida and Georgia. UGA is seeking to dig themselves out of the 2-7 hole they’ve made themselves in conference play while the Gators look to continue their cruise through SEC play as they enter this game with a 10-1 mark against their league opponents.