Stats/Story: #15 Lady Vols Round Out SPC Elite Invite, Defeat #24 UCF 6-2

Box Score | Updated Season Stats

CLEARWATER, Fla. — The No. 15/18 Tennessee Lady Vol softball team rounded out the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational with a win on Saturday, taking down No. 24/24 UCF 2-0 on Field 1 at the Eddie C. Moore Complex.

Sophomore pitcher Bailey McCachren came on in relief in the bottom of the fifth and was tabbed with the win, throwing the final 2.2 innings with a pair of strikeouts and no runs allowed. The win went down as her first of the season and her first over a top-25 opponent.

Super senior infielders Ashley Morgan and Ivy Davis each notched solo home runs in the win, improving their season totals to three and four, respectively. Right fielder Amanda Ayala and catcher Kelcy Leach paced the Tennessee offense with two base hits each.

The scoring opened in the top of the first when junior center fielder Kiki Milloy came home on a wild pitch. The Lady Vol All-American walked to lead off the game, stole second and advanced to third before she scored to put Tennessee ahead 1-0 early on.

UT doubled its lead with a towering shot from super senior Ashley Morgan in the top of the third. The left-handed batter launched her third home run of the season and first of the weekend deep to right center to put the Lady Vols up 2-0 on the Knights.

The shutout was broken up in the bottom of the fifth when UCF scored a pair of runs to tie the game. Justene Molina scored on an RBI groundout from Johneisha Rowe before Kennedy Searcy’s double to right center brought home shortstop Micaela Macario.

Super senior right fielder Amanda Ayala provided the go-ahead score in the top of the sixth, lining a two-out single to left that scored freshman Lair Beautae from second base. In the bottom half of the frame with two Knights on base, super senior shortstop Ivy

Tennessee tacked on three more in the seventh to put the game out of reach and secure its first ranked victory of the 2022 campaign. Davis gave the Lady Vols one run of insurance with an opposite field solo blast to right center, Leach scored on a two-out wild pitch, and Beautae drove in the game’s final run with an RBI double to left center.

UP NEXT: The Lady Vols head to the West Coast for their third consecutive weekend tournament, traveling to Cathedral City, California, for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. Tennessee opens the event with a neutral site doubleheader, facing BYU and UC Davis on Thursday, Feb. 24, at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. ET, respectively.