No. 1 Vols pull away late to drop Kentucky, make SEC final

HOOVER, Ala. (AP) — Cortland Lawson doubled in two runs in a four-run eighth inning, Blake Burke hit a three-run homer in a six-run ninth inning and top-seeded Tennessee turned back 12th-seeded Kentucky 12-2 to advance to the SEC Tournament championship game. The Volunteers (52-7) take a seven-game winning streak into Sunday’s matchup with Florida. The Wildcats (33-26), the lowest seed in the tournament, had won four elimination games before falling in the semifinals to the league champions who they had beaten twice in the regular season. They scored two runs in the fifth to tie the game at 2. Reliever Chase Burns (8-1) went 4 2/3 to pick up the win, notching eight of Tennessee’s 17 strikeouts.