KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The 10th seeded Tennessee Lady Vols continued their hot start to the NCAA Championships by defeating James Madison 12-3 on Saturday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
With the win, the Lady Vols (47-12) move to 2-0 in the Knoxville Regional. After taking a 6-3 lead into the fifth inning, UT scored three runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth to claim the victory by run-rule.
Caylan Arnold improved to 25-4 on the season with the winning decision. Arnold went a full six innings for UT, striking out seven batters while yielding three runs.
James Madison (43-13) scored the game’s first run in the top of the second, as Natalie Cutright belted a solo home run just inside the right field foul pole to make it 1-0 in favor of the Dukes.
Tennessee would answer right back in the bottom half thanks to a two-run shot from McSwain over the center field wall. The blast brought Ashley Morgan around from first after she led off the frame with a single.
The Lady Vols recorded three more runs in the third inning to make it 5-1. CJ McClain led things off with a base knock to right field, and advanced all the way to third as Aubrey Leach followed up with a single through the right side of her own. Leach then took off for second, allowing McClain to score from third on a perfectly executed double-steal. Chelsea Seggern stepped in next and hit a two-run homer to right field that increased the UT lead to four.
The Dukes would get two runs back in the top of the fourth, with the first coming on a leadoff shot from Kate Gordon. Tennessee answered again in the bottom half via an Abby Lockman solo home run.
Tennessee got a rally going in the fifth that resulted in three more runs as the Lady Vols began to pull away. Leach led off with a hard-hit double off the left field wall, and later advanced to third on a wild pitch. Gregg brought her home on a single through the right side to make it 7-3. Treasury Poindexter came in to pinch run for Gregg on first, and when Morgan hit a single two batters later, Poindexter sprinted around second to set up runners on the corners. A McSwain groundout allowed Poindexter to come home for another Tennessee run, and Ayala singled two batters later to drive in pinch runner Sheridan Allen.
In the sixth, a triple from McClain put the Lady Vols in good position to close out the game, and they were able to do just that, as a single from Leach brought in McClain before Gregg belted her 18th home run of the season to make it 12-3 Tennessee.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will wait for the results of the next two games to determine who their next opponent is. Ohio and Monmouth, who both lost their Fridaymatchups, play each other at 2:39 p.m., and the winner will face James Madison on Saturday night for the right to take on Tennessee on Sunday.
Tennessee 12, JMU 3
May 19, 2018 | Knoxville, Tenn. | Sherri Parker Lee Stadium
Tennessee Co-Head Coach Karen Weekly
Opening Statement:
“Well that was a great win for the Lady Vols. We have a lot of respect for James Madison. Obviously, they came in here with great numbers, and we knew that, and we were prepared. I’m just really pleased with the way our kids came out. They were very locked in. Caylan pitched a terrific game. With that wind blowing out of here it was hard to keep the ball in the park today, but I thought she did a masterful job of, you know, limiting the damage that that offense was able to do. And then our offense, just all the way through the lineup I thought our kids just really challenged themselves to hit all the way through the lineup, and that’s what happened today.”
On calling pitches for Caylan Arnold this season versus last year:
“I think it changes the game completely. You will see us, when we’re behind in counts, we’ll use any pitch. We’ll use her off-speed. We’ll use her rise ball. It really doesn’t matter because I’m 100 percent confident in Caylan’s ability to execute any pitch under pressure. That makes a big difference in your game calling.”
On the home runs Tennessee hit:
“I think the first one, and Scarlet McSwain hit it, that was kind of the answer back because they had put a run on the board with a home run that had just barely made it out. When that ball first went up, I thought that was a catch, that it’ll be a deep catch. I think that was key that we answered back and I think that momentum is something that’s infectious. I think today, like Chelsea mentioned, our kids were really locked in pitch to pitch. You didn’t sense any emotional swings up or down with at-bats, whether the at-bat was a success or failure result-wise. It just felt like everybody was locked in one pitch at a time and that includes our entire dugout.”
On how Tennessee approached the short turnaround from last night’s game to today’s game:
“We really didn’t talk about it to them at all. I didn’t like it. I think it’s something that needs to be looked at and changed because I don’t think it’s to the student-athletes’ welfare to have to play on such a short turnaround, but we did not mention that to our players. What we told our players at the end of the game yesterday was, ‘you need to go home and go to bed right away.’ We had food there in the clubhouse and we put it in a box for them and said eat it in the car so when you get home, you hop in the shower, take the fastest shower you’ve ever taken and then get in bed. We delayed our pregame breakfast this morning by 30 minutes to give them a little extra sleep.”
On what time that was:
“9:00 a.m. Some of them have treatment that they have to be here for and were probably a few minutes early for that.”
On the importance of getting the two wins and not needing to stay at the stadium all day:
“It’s big. You can win Friday night, but if you lose this game, you’re looking at playing five games to win this deal and being here all day today. It’s a hot one tonight so it’s going to be tough for whoever is out there today and survives to tomorrow. We just talked to our team about this not meaning that anything is won. You’ve got to come out tomorrow and take care of business. I certainly like being in this position better than playing all day.”
On the everybody having a role in the win:
“One of the best plays of the game was Treasury Poindexter’s baserunning at third base when she scored on a ground ball to shortstop. She got the lead, made them think she wasn’t going but kept inching up and had plenty of time. They didn’t even have a play at home. She went in standing up. That’s a kid who knows her role. Her role is to be the absolute best baserunner on the team and that’s what she does every day in practice. That’s an example of somebody just taking great pride in doing what they can do to help the team. You nailed it on the head, everybody in the dugout had a part in that win today.”
On Meghan Gregg ending the game like that:
“Meghan saw that pitch really well and we got to finish an inning early.”
Tennessee 3B Chelsea Seggern
On all the home runs Tennessee hit today:
“I definitely think we stuck with our game plan really well today. A lot of girls knew that the pitcher kind of had some up spin, and we just had some really good swings at the plate.”
On if this is the best they’ve hit as a team all season:
“No, I definitely think we’ve had some peaks earlier in the season, but it’s just a great time right now for us all to be confident in the box.”
On if being finished with classes has helped the team focus:
“Definitely. It just gives us a better opportunity now, because we don’t really have limited hours, so we can come in with the coaches any time of the day, any time of the week. It’s just an enjoyable time because there’s no pressure from school, and we can just play the great game that we love.”
On if hitting well with runners in scoring position gives them a confidence boost:
“I think so. I just think a lot of girls are really locked in right now, and they’re maybe not thinking about situations that are clutch-time. They’re just really kind of sticking to their game plan, but I think it’s a great feeling knowing that all of us are doing really well.”
On CJ McClain’s performance:
“I’m happy for her. She’s worked all season just to be able to master the hard-slap game. You know, obviously staying in the box, our slappers did an awesome job today. And for her, she’s a senior, so I’m just happy for her to go out with a bang.”
Tennessee RHP Caylan Arnold
On quick turnaround between games:
“I think I got like seven hours of sleep (last night), so that’s not bad. Yeah, it was a very quick turnaround, but you know, we definitely did a good job of doing what we needed to do, which was get home quickly, get to bed quickly, and do what we need to do to come out and play the way we did today.”
On pitching to the JMU lineup and regrouping after giving up a homerun:
“My strategy is really just to be the best that I can be. They are a lineup full of great hitters, and just being able to move forward after someone hits a homerun like that takes a lot of maturity, which is something I’ve had to learn a lot throughout this year. I think I did a good job. I’m proud of myself for being able to turn around and come back after they did that.”
On the wind being an issue when pitching:
“You definitely have to be aware of (the wind). Before the game starts you have to know if the wind is blowing out, what’s the dirt like, how’s the zone, things like that. But you don’t want to be thinking about it when you’re throwing the pitch. You want to be focused on the pitch, but that is something you’re going to have to be aware of. Like, okay, if I throw this rise ball, and I miss, she could hit it out. But it’s not something I’m thinking about constantly when I’m throwing. I’m always focused on the next pitch.”
James Madison Head Coach Loren Laporte
Opening Statement:
“Well obviously Tennessee is a great ball team. It was pretty simple–their hitters did a great job today. They came in with a game plan. Odicci did a good job in the first couple of innings and then they started making adjustments, and they started to take hacks on their first-pitch strikes. They started timing her up a little bit. So, then we decided to change to Payton, who is a little bit different than Odicci, and then again, they did a good job at making adjustments late in the game.”
On how dangerous their lineup was and how to pitch to it:
“I mean it is tough. Really today, one through nine, there was no weak spot in their lineup. So that is something that, kudos to them for their hitters in the five through nine spots stepped up today and did a good job.”
On Natalie Cutright’s performance:
“We told our hitters in the third inning that we needed to start swinging at the first-pitch strike and taking hacks on it. That is what she did. It was the first pitch, she took a good swing and squared it up and she was able to get it out. Then I think she had another RBI where it was an outside pitch and she did not want to do too much with it. She was trying to pull it. She went with it and she was able to score Odicci. So, it was nice to see her in the seventh spot and to see her produce today for us.”
On what she will do to get the team to recover since they still have a shot at the regional championship:
“We just talked in the locker room a little bit and we talked about some things. We need to learn from that game, but the 15 minutes are over and we have to move on. We cannot focus on that game anymore. We have already learned from it and we have talked about it. Now we have to focus on game two.”
On Meghan Gregg being a great hitter and what they did to prepare for her:
“The thing with Meghan is that she can hit every single pitch. She does not really have a weak spot. A lot of hitters have kind of a lot of strengths and weaknesses. She has got a lot of strengths. She is powerful. The thing with her too is she does not go up there every time to try and hit a home run. When she has runners on, she is productive. She puts her teammates first. She hit a ground ball to the three-four hole. She is just a hitter that just makes adjustments and she is very hard to pitch to.”
