KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A grand slam by Liberty freshman Savannah Channell in the fourth inning gave Liberty the spark it needed to claim a 6-4 victory over the No. 9-seeded Lady Vols, as Tennessee’s season came to a close at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium on Saturday night.
Liberty freshman starter Karlie Keeney earned her 17th win of the season on Saturday for the Flames (44-14), after allowing six hits, four earned runs and dealing one strikeout.
Tennessee’s Ashley Rogers received the loss, allowing four earned runs in 4.0 innings of work. Rogers, a junior right-handed pitcher for the Lady Vols, tossed five strikeouts and walked four batters on the evening.
From the plate, Ashley Morgan went 2-2 with a pair of RBIs for the Lady Vols. As a team, Tennessee (42-14) logged seven hits, including two triples, and 4 RBIs.
Rogers came out dealing, getting two Liberty batters to strike out swinging in the top half of the opening frame.
In the bottom of the first inning, an Amanda Ayala triple to left field and an Morgan single up the middle drove Ayala home to put Tennessee on the board first, 1-0.
The bottom half of the third inning saw the Lady Vols tally a second run as Kaitlin Parsons scored off an RBI sac fly by Morgan. The Lady Vols led 2-0 entering the fourth inning.
There, the Flames received the offensive spark they needed. With two outs and the bases loaded, Channell belted a grand slam over the left field wall to get Liberty on the board and earn Liberty a 4-2 advantage.
Liberty added what would be the game-winning run in the fifth inning, as Mary Claire Wilson scored to increase their lead to 5-2.
In the bottom of the sixth frame, Morgan’s single to left field was followed by Ally Shipman’s triple down the left field line, which scored pinch runner Josie Willingham and cut Liberty’s lead to 5-3.
Chelsea Seggern recorded a sac fly to center field, bringing Shipman home and making it a one-run game, with the Lady Vols trailing 5-4.
Liberty senior Amber Bishop-Riley sent a seventh inning pitch to left field for a solo home run that gave Liberty a 6-4 lead.
That would ultimately serve as the final score, as two fly outs and a ground out for Tennessee concluded the seventh inning.
Box Score | Overall Stats | VIDEO: Karen Weekly Postgame
-UT Athletics
