Kentucky softball (7-5) kicked off day two of the 2025 I-75 tournament in Atlanta, Georgia, with a 9-1 mercy rule win against Memphis (8-4). 

Kentucky was the home team in this game.

Freshman Julie Kelley made her third career start in this game. This was her second win and complete game.

Kelley was perfect through two innings, striking out three of the six batters she faced.

The Wildcat offense had a hot start that resulted in five first-inning runs.

It began with three of the first four Kentucky hitters working full count walks to load the bases with one out. Karissa Hamilton singled to left field, scoring Ally Hutchins and Delani Sullivan.

Cassie Reasner followed with a walk to reload the bases, then Ella Emmert walked to score Peyton Plotts.

Hamilton and Reasner both scored on passed balls to round out the Wildcats’ strong first inning.

Memphis got on the board in the top of the third. The Tigers hit a leadoff single and the runner scored on a two-out double, shrinking the Wildcat lead to 5-1.

Kentucky tried to fight back in the bottom of the third, but Reasner was the only hitter to reach base.

In the top of the fourth, Memphis put runners on the corners with two outs, threatening to add to its run total. Kelley closed the door and escaped the jam, stranding both runners.

Lauryn Borzilleri and Hutchins both walked to lead off the bottom of the fourth, which forced the third pitching change for Memphis.

Sullivan hit a single off the new pitcher to score Borzilleri, leaving runners on second and third. Allie Blum cleared the bases with a three-run home run.

Kentucky loaded up the bases again with a Reasner double, Emmert bunt single and a Kelley pinch-hit walk. This led to the fourth Memphis pitcher in four innings. The new pitcher recorded the third out and stranded three Wildcats.

Memphis headed into the top of fifth trailing eight runs, needing one to prevent the mercy rule. The Tigers put a runner on second with one out but were unable to score.

This is the second straight victory by mercy rule for the Wildcats, resiliently bouncing back from a three-game losing streak.

The Wildcats worked 10 walks as a team and paired them with six hits, accounting for five RBI. The Wildcats scored the other four runs with advantageous baserunning, capitalizing on passed balls and wild pitches.

Kelley had a dominant performance, allowing three hits and one run in five innings. Two of these hits and the run came in the third inning, but, outside of that, Kelley was nearly perfect.

To win by mercy rule, both sides must show up in a big way, and that was exactly the case for Kentucky.

The Wildcats next game shortly follows this one, taking on Georgia Tech at 3:30 p.m. ET. This game will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.