CLEARWATER, Fla. – Highlighted by three games on MLB Network, day three of the 2025 NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic presented by MaxBP ended with just one team undefeated. Kentucky improved to 4-0 with two more resounding wins, 12-0 over Morgan State and 13-3 versus Southern Miss.
The Wildcats, receiving votes in the NFCA/GoRout DI Top 25 Coaches Poll have put up 44 runs over their four games and close out the tournament with No. 7 Duke at 11 am on Sunday. Joining UK with two wins on Saturday were No. 6 Tennessee, No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 24 Mississippi State and Pittsburgh. The Lady Vols and Red Raiders moved to 4-1, while the Bulldogs and Panthers improved to 3-1.
On the MLB Network, No. 15 Missouri used a nine-run sixth to rally past Duke, 10-3 in the opener. In a crazy game two, Nebraska held a 5-0 lead over Texas Tech going into the bottom of the sixth. However, a pair of errors and a big three-run blast by NiJaree Canady cut the Huskers lead to 5-4. The Red Raiders walked it off in the seventh on a two-run error to pull out the 6-5 victory. In the nightcap, the Lady Vols continued to put up the runs, as redshirt-freshman Ella Dodge launched her first two career home runs in a 12-1 thumping of No. 21 Northwestern. After being held to one run in its opener against Nebraska, UT has dropped 42 runs on their opponents in four five-inning victories.
The Red Raiders capped off the evening with an 11-0 victory over Iowa, winning their last three games. The 24th-ranked Bulldogs needed two runs in the bottom of the seventh to walkoff Bethune-Cookman, 3-2, and followed that up with a 6-1 win over Penn State. The Panthers have won three straight after 8-1 and 2-0 triumphs over Southern Miss and Kennesaw State.
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Bethune-Cookman, Notre Dame and Penn State all picked up their first wins of the tournament. The Wildcats edged former Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foe Morgan State, 4-3, while the Nittany Lions defeated Kennesaw State, 9-1 in six innings. The Fighting Irish provided head coach Kris Ganeff her first career victory in walkoff fashion as Jane Kronenberger lifted a 1-1 pitch over the left field fence for a 4-3 victory over Mizzou. Also picking up wins on day three were the aforementioned 15th-ranked Tigers, along with Iowa and Northwestern. The Hawkeyes blanked Marshall, 8-0 in six innings for their second shutout of the tournament. The Wildcats topped the seventh-ranked Blue Devils, 4-1.
All games are being streamed live for free courtesy of NFCA Official Sponsor GameChanger, the sole streaming provider of the tournament.
The tournament caps off with nine games on Feb. 9 starting with four at 10:00 a.m.
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