KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 6/5 Lady Vols defeated the No. 11/13 Texas Longhorns, 9-5, on the second day of the annual Tennessee Invitational to improve to 21-3 on the season and 2-0 in the tournament.
Offensively, the Big Orange had four players record two hits in the outing while Cailin Hannon (2-for-4) tallied three RBI and Haley Bearden (2-for-4) and Ashley Morgan (1-for-3) each drove in two runs.
Matty Moss earned the start and the win on her birthday, tossing 4.0 innings. The Greenville, S.C., native allowed two runs on eight hits and threw three strikeouts. Ashley Rogers saw action in relief, giving up three runs on four hits while fanning two batters.
Tennessee wasted no time putting runs on the scoreboard as Bearden hit a home run in the first frame bringing home Aubrey Leach to give Tennessee a 2-0 lead.
The Longhorns threatened in the third inning, putting runners on second and third but quick thinking by UT’s infield resulted in a 2-6-2-5-4-2-5-3 rundown at the plate.
Tennessee carried the momentum over to the bottom of the third, scoring three runs on three hits to extend its advantage, 5-0. Chelsea Seggern hit a two-bagger with one out to score Leach before Morgan singled to right, bringing in two more runs.
In the fourth inning, Texas’ Miranda Elish and Kaitlyn Washington hit back-to-back solo shots to put the Longhorns on the board and trim the Lady Vols’ lead to 5-2.
Freshman Gracie Osbron answered with a long ball of her own to center field in the bottom of the frame to gain back a run.
The Lady Vols put a two-spot up in the fifth thanks to Hannon’s third home run of the season. The junior belted one to right after Amanda Ayala worked the count for a walk.
UT scored its final run of the night in the sixth inning on consecutive hits from Madison Pacini and Hannon.
Not going down without a fight, Texas attempted a rally in the seventh. The Burnt Orange and White led off with a homer before a bunt single put a runner on base for a two-run shot by Mary Iakopo.
THE HOMERS KEEP COMING: Tennessee added three home runs to its season total on Friday as Haley Bearden, Gracie Osbron and Cailin Hannon all notched one long ball vs. Texas. Bearden is second on the team with six homers so far this season.
ON DECK: Tennessee takes on BYU on Saturday, March 16, at 2:30 p.m. ET before facing Texas in the final game of the Tennessee Invitational on Sunday, March 17 at 1 p.m. ET. Both games will be aired on SECN+/WatchESPN App and have a live radio broadcast on UTSports.com and AM 990.
Box Score | Photo Gallery | Highlights | Co-Head Coach Karen Weekly Postgame Interview | Senior Pitcher Matty Moss Postgame Interview
-UT Athletics
