KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Dominant offensive showings and two shutouts in the circle, propelled the No. 21 Tennessee softball team past Bellarmine on Tuesday afternoon at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
The Lady Vols (20-3) gave Bellarmine (4-13) its largest margin of defeat in program history with a resounding, 19-0 victory in game one.
In the afternoon’s opener sophomore pitchers Callie Turner and Anna Hazlewood stifled the Knights offense, combining for a five-inning no-hitter. It is Tennessee’s third no-no this season and the second thrown by Turner in 2021.
It is the first time since 2012 that the Lady Vols have tossed three no-hitters in one season, when Ivy Renfroe tossed no-hitters against Murray State and Ole Miss and Ellen Renfroe earned a no-no versus Furman. It is also the first combined no-hitter since Matty Moss and Ashley Rogers tossed a five-inning no-no against ETSU on April 16, 2019.
UT continued to pile it on the Knights in game two, ending the afternoon with a second consecutive run-rule victory, this time to the tune of an 8-0 score line.
GAME 1 – Tennessee 19 Bellarmine 0
UT jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after the first inning thanks to a Bellarmine error that allowed Amanda Ayala to score, which was followed up by a 3-run blast from Ivy Davis. The homer is Davis’ eighth of the season.
In the second, Tennessee scored eight runs on six hits to blow open the lead at 12-0.
Ashley Morgan continued the offensive firepower for UT in the third inning, smacking a two-run homer over the right field wall, increasing the lead to 14-0. The long ball was her third of the season and her first since returning to the Lady Vol lineup from injury.
Tennessee added three more runs in the third and two runs in the fourth to give it the final margin of victory, 19-0.
The 19-run win was both the most runs Bellarmine has ever given up, and the worst loss in school history.
Ally Shipman found her groove against the Knights, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and three runs scored. Morgan was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored to go along with her two-run home run and Chelsea Seggern went 1-for-3 with three RBI and three walks.
Left fielder Cailin Hannon was also 2-for-4 with two runs batted in and two runs scored.
GAME 2 – Tennessee 8 Bellarmine 0
Freshman Bailey McCachren tossed a five-inning shutout, yielding just two hits and a pair of walks in her stellar outing.
The Lady Vols got off to a bit of a slow start, scoring just once in the opening two innings, before exploding for a four-spot in the third and a three-spot in the fourth to take an 8-0 lead heading into the top of the fifth.
Sophomore Kiki Milloy was stellar in game two, going 2-for-3 at the dish with a pair of RBIs and another stolen base, upping her season total to 15.
Shipman was big again in the afternoon’s second contest, tacking on two more RBIs and like Milloy, going 2-for-3 at the plate. Shipman finished the day 4-for-6 with five RBIs and five runs scored across 10 innings played.
UP NEXT
Tennessee returns to SEC play with a weekend series with Alabama, March 19-21. Friday and Sunday’s games can be seen on ESPNU, while Saturday’s contest can be streamed on SEC Network+.
Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score
-UT Athletics
