KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – At day one of the Tennessee Invitational, the Tennessee softball team found revenge in a dominant victory over in-state foe ETSU, before falling to Stanford in the night cap.
The results moved the Lady Vols to 11-8 on the still-young season.
Tennessee 10 ETSU 1
An explosive seven spot in the third inning propelled the Lady Vols to their 11th victory of the year.
Redshirt sophomore Samantha Bender was dominant in the circle, striking out four hitters, conceding just three hits and one run, while retiring ETSU’s final seven batters.
Sophomore catcher Ally Shipman had a complete performance, finishing 3-for-3 at the plate with two singles and a double, scoring two runs.
Bender settled in nicely after the Bucs scored the games first run in the opening inning, but the Lady Vols defense held them to the lone score.
The seven runs in the third frame were the most runs the Orange & White have scored in a single inning so far this season.
A two-run homer from freshman KK McCrary (1-for-3) put the wheels in motion for UT giving the Lady Vols a 4-1 advantage.
After junior Ashley Morgan (2-for-2) pushed across another run and Kaitlin Parsons (0-for-1) walked to load the bases, Cailin Hannon (1-for-2) rifled a double into the gap in right center to clear the bases, providing UT with a commanding 8-1 lead. Hannon finished with a game-high three RBIs.
Two more runs in the fourth cemented the contest’s final score in less than two hours of game action.
Tennessee 2 Stanford 7
In the Big Orange’s second contest of the day, Stanford took control in the late innings as the afternoon transitioned to the evening, dropping the Lady Vols to 11-8 on the year.
The squads battled pitch-for-pitch through the first five innings—holding a 2-2 score line—before the Cardinal broke things open with three runs in the sixth and two runs in the seventh.
With the bases loaded in the sixth, a three-RBI triple from shortstop Emily Young put Stanford out in front for good.
In the seventh, the red-clad Cardinal added two insurance runs using a station to station approach on the base paths.
Despite giving up seven runs, freshman pitcher Callie Turner struck out five batters and was dominant through stretches in the game’s middle innings.
Next Up
Tennessee is back in action tomorrow when it takes on Toledo in the final game of pool play. First pitch is slated for 12:30 p.m. ET from Sherri Parker Lee Stadium and will be broadcast on SECN+.
Box Score vs ETSU | Box Score vs Stanford | Season Cumes
-UT Athletics
