Anne Wilson‘s debut album, My Jesus, includes a perfect song for Mother’s Day, “Mama’s”
Talking about the track, Anne says “It’s a love letter to all our Mamas, and an anthem for the people who love them wholly. No matter what kind of Mama you are, y’all are doing the Lord’s work!!”
“Mamas” also features a country music making mama helping Anne out on the song – Hillary Scott from Lady A.
Check out the music video for “Mamas” here…
Photo Courtesy of Anne Wilson and Hillary Scott
Box Score (PDF) | Series Stats (PDF)
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Solid pitching and some timely hitting helped top-ranked Tennessee salvage a game in Lexington with a 7-2 victory over Kentucky in Saturday’s series finale on another rainy day at Kentucky Proud Park.
The pitching duo of Drew Beam and Redmond Walsh held the Wildcats to two runs (one earned) on six hits while the Big Orange bats busted out for seven runs on nine hits, including two homers, after struggling in the first two games of the series.
Seven different players recorded a hit for UT in the shortened seven-inning game, led by multi-hit efforts from Drew Gilbert and Cortland Lawson, who both finished with two hits and combined to score three times while also driving in a pair of runs.
The Vols (42-6, 20-4 SEC) wasted no time getting on the board, jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to a pair of hits by Jorel Ortega and Gilbert. Ortega singled up the middle with one out and came all the way around to score on a double to center field by Gilbert with two outs.
The Wildcats(26-21, 9-15 SEC) answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the third to tie the game at one after Alonzo Rubalcaba and Chase Estep started the inning with back-to-back doubles. Beam buckled down to record three straight outs following the doubles to limit the damage and keep the game tied heading into the fourth.
A solo homer off the bat of Lawson put Tennessee back in front in the top of the fifth. The Vols’ No. 9 hitter lined a ball over the fence in right field for his 10th big fly of the season to give the Big Orange a 2-1 lead.
Kentucky quickly responded with a run in the bottom of the inning to tie the game once again. Estep singled to lead off the inning, advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt and eventually scored on a groundout by Jacob Plastiak to tie the game at two. Walsh did well to limit the Cats to just a single run in the inning after entering the game with runners on the corners and nobody out.
The Big Orange made the Wildcats pay for an error and a walk in the sixth inning, as Luc Lipcius came up with the biggest hit of the series for UT, driving in a pair of runs with a chopper that bounced over the first baseman’s head and into right field, giving the Vols a 4-2 lead.
Lipcius flashed the leather later in the inning, making a great defensive play to help Walsh get out of a jam in the bottom of the sixth to keep the two-run lead intact. UK threatened with runners on the corners and two outs, but Lipcius made a diving stop to snag a sharply hit ground ball before stepping on the bag at first for the final out of the inning.
Jordan Beck put the game away with a no-doubt, three-run blast to left field in the top of the seventh to give the Vols a five-run lead, which was plenty for Walsh, who retired the Wildcats in order in the bottom of the inning to finish off the win and improve to 3-1 on the year.
UP NEXT: Tennessee returns to the friendly confines of Lindsey Nelson Stadium for four home games next week, starting with a midweek contest against Bellarmine on Tuesday, May 10 at 6:30 p.m. before hosting No. 16/22 Georgia in another Thursday-Saturday series.
SIX VOLS WITH 10-PLUS HRs: For the first time in program history, Tennessee has had six players hit double-digit dingers in a season. The previous record was five, which the Vols accomplished this season and last year.
Vols With Double-Digit HRs
Trey Lipscomb – 18
Jordan Beck – 13
Jorel Ortega – 11
Luc Lipcius – 11
Evan Russell – 10
Cortland Lawson – 10
IMPRESSIVE SERIES FOR WALSH: Veteran lefty Redmond Walsh had arguably his most impressive series of the season after a rare blown save last Saturday against Auburn.
In two appearances against the Wildcats, Walsh tossed six scoreless innings while racking up eight strikeouts, including a career-high six over three innings in Thursday’s series opener. The Louisville, Tennessee, native allowed just three hits in those six innings, as well, holding Kentucky hitless in three innings of relief on Saturday afternoon.
-UT Athletics
Box Score (PDF) | Series Stats (PDF)
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Solid pitching and some timely hitting helped top-ranked Tennessee salvage a game in Lexington with a 7-2 victory over Kentucky in Saturday’s series finale on another rainy day at Kentucky Proud Park.
The pitching duo of Drew Beam and Redmond Walsh held the Wildcats to two runs (one earned) on six hits while the Big Orange bats busted out for seven runs on nine hits, including two homers, after struggling in the first two games of the series.
Seven different players recorded a hit for UT in the shortened seven-inning game, led by multi-hit efforts from Drew Gilbert and Cortland Lawson, who both finished with two hits and combined to score three times while also driving in a pair of runs.
The Vols (42-6, 20-4 SEC) wasted no time getting on the board, jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to a pair of hits by Jorel Ortega and Gilbert. Ortega singled up the middle with one out and came all the way around to score on a double to center field by Gilbert with two outs.
The Wildcats(26-21, 9-15 SEC) answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the third to tie the game at one after Alonzo Rubalcaba and Chase Estep started the inning with back-to-back doubles. Beam buckled down to record three straight outs following the doubles to limit the damage and keep the game tied heading into the fourth.
A solo homer off the bat of Lawson put Tennessee back in front in the top of the fifth. The Vols’ No. 9 hitter lined a ball over the fence in right field for his 10th big fly of the season to give the Big Orange a 2-1 lead.
Kentucky quickly responded with a run in the bottom of the inning to tie the game once again. Estep singled to lead off the inning, advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt and eventually scored on a groundout by Jacob Plastiak to tie the game at two. Walsh did well to limit the Cats to just a single run in the inning after entering the game with runners on the corners and nobody out.
The Big Orange made the Wildcats pay for an error and a walk in the sixth inning, as Luc Lipcius came up with the biggest hit of the series for UT, driving in a pair of runs with a chopper that bounced over the first baseman’s head and into right field, giving the Vols a 4-2 lead.
Lipcius flashed the leather later in the inning, making a great defensive play to help Walsh get out of a jam in the bottom of the sixth to keep the two-run lead intact. UK threatened with runners on the corners and two outs, but Lipcius made a diving stop to snag a sharply hit ground ball before stepping on the bag at first for the final out of the inning.
Jordan Beck put the game away with a no-doubt, three-run blast to left field in the top of the seventh to give the Vols a five-run lead, which was plenty for Walsh, who retired the Wildcats in order in the bottom of the inning to finish off the win and improve to 3-1 on the year.
UP NEXT: Tennessee returns to the friendly confines of Lindsey Nelson Stadium for four home games next week, starting with a midweek contest against Bellarmine on Tuesday, May 10 at 6:30 p.m. before hosting No. 16/22 Georgia in another Thursday-Saturday series.
SIX VOLS WITH 10-PLUS HRs: For the first time in program history, Tennessee has had six players hit double-digit dingers in a season. The previous record was five, which the Vols accomplished this season and last year.
Vols With Double-Digit HRs
Trey Lipscomb – 18
Jordan Beck – 13
Jorel Ortega – 11
Luc Lipcius – 11
Evan Russell – 10
Cortland Lawson – 10
IMPRESSIVE SERIES FOR WALSH: Veteran lefty Redmond Walsh had arguably his most impressive series of the season after a rare blown save last Saturday against Auburn.
In two appearances against the Wildcats, Walsh tossed six scoreless innings while racking up eight strikeouts, including a career-high six over three innings in Thursday’s series opener. The Louisville, Tennessee, native allowed just three hits in those six innings, as well, holding Kentucky hitless in three innings of relief on Saturday afternoon.
-UT Athletics
WATCH: Karen Weekly Postgame | WATCH: Davis & Puni Postgame | Box Score | Updated Season Stats | Updated SEC-Only Stats | Photo Gallery
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 12 Tennessee softball took both games of a Saturday doubleheader against No. 16 Auburn to secure a top-4 seed and a double-bye to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals next week in Gainesville, Florida. The Lady Vols topped the Tigers 5-2 in game one before rounding the DH with a 7-4 victory featuring four home runs. The two wins secured UT’s fifth SEC series victory of the 2022 campaign.
Right-handed pitcher Ashley Rogers gave the Big Orange faithful a performance to remember after being recognized for her senior day prior to first pitch. The Athens product spun a complete game to open the twin bill with a two-run, four-hit outing against the Tigers. With the win, the Lady Vols (37-15, 14-8 SEC) locked up a top-4 seed in the conference for the sixth time since merging divisions in 2014 and the first time since 2019 when they finished second.
In game two on Saturday, Zaida Puni kept Tennessee’s chances at the SEC second seed alive, launching a pair of homers in the 7-4 win. The sophomore punished the Tigers (39-13, 11-12 SEC), going 3-for-3 with two home runs, four RBIs and two runs scored. The explosion was Puni’s first career multi-homer game and second four-RBI game this season. Puni also tied Kiki Milloy for the team lead in season homers at 14 each.
Super senior shortstop Ivy Davis left her mark on the games as well, going a combined 2-for-5 with two home runs, two RBIs, two runs scored and a walk.
Game 1 – Tennessee 5, Auburn 2
Seniors wrote the story of the doubleheader opener as UT defeated Auburn 5-2. Rogers earned her 56th win in the Orange and White, just one shy of tying Stephanie Humphrey and Caylan Arnold for seventh all-time in Lady Vol history. Her six strikeouts also brought her career total to 610 as she tracks down her pitching coach, Megan Rhodes Smith, for fourth all-time in the record book.
Graduate senior Ashley Morgan opened the scoring in the second inning, bringing in pinch-runner Katie Taylor on a double to shallow left center that gave Rogers her first run of support. Morgan later tied LVFL Liane Horiuchi’s single season hit-by-pitch record in the fourth inning, wearing her 18th HBP of the year.
Fellow graduate senior Amanda Ayala created a scoring opportunity in the third, shooting a double down the right field line that ultimately scored freshman Lair Beautae on a bad throw home from the Auburn cut-off woman, bringing the margin of error to 2-0. In addition to the run, the double briefly gave Ayala sole possession of the team lead in doubles with 12.
Auburn clawed a run back off Rogers in the fourth inning after only mustering a single runner through the first three innings—including a stretch of nine-straight set down—but the Lady Vol ace forced a ground ball right back to her to strand runners at second and third and maintain the Tennessee lead. Tiger catcher Aubrie Lisenby knocked in AU’s first run with an RBI single to left, cutting Tennessee’s lead in half to 2-1.
Tennessee immediately responded by loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the fourth. Milloy capitalized by lacing her 12th double of the season over a jumping left fielder to score Kelcy Leach and Shakara Goodloe and triple the lead to 4-1. The junior re-tied Ayala for the team lead in doubles and broke a tie with Puni for the team’s RBI leader at 48. The All-American center fielder’s two RBIs also gives her 14 multi-RBI games as the team heads closer to the SEC Tournament.
Davis put the game on ice in the fifth inning, hitting her third homer in the last four games with a solo blast to tie Puni for second on the team in the category at 12. An Auburn home run in the seventh slightly trimmed the lead to 5-2, but that was the only threat the Tigers posed over the final two frames of the game.
Game 2- Tennessee 7, Auburn 4
The Lady Vols concocted all the scenarios that put them at their most formidable—scoring first, in the first inning, while hitting more than two home runs and scoring more than six runs.
The Big Orange turned a double play in the top half of the opening frame into a two-run lead, giving them a crucial advantage early on. The team is 10-3 in SEC play when scoring first and 5-2 when those runs come in the first inning.
Ayala scored a runner the traditional way this game, singling up the middle to bring in Beautae for her second run scored of the day and Ayala’s 28th RBI of the season. Puni immediately brought Ayala home on the following at-bat, singling into the left-center field gap for the Lady Vols’ second run of the inning.
Lady Vol lefty Erin Edmoundson started game two and got off to an identical start as Rogers, holding Auburn to a single baserunner over the first three innings.
Like the first game, Auburn presented their greatest threat in the fourth inning. The Tigers were able to string together six-straight hits and double UT’s run total to take a 4-2 lead.
The Lady Vol offense, however, was more than prepared for the comeback task. Puni put the first dent in the Tiger lead in the bottom half of the frame, scraping a home run under the scoreboard in left center before Davis took the very next pitch over the dead center wall to knot the game at four runs apiece. Leach followed in her teammates’ footsteps and sent her fifth homerun into the porches in center for back-to-back-to-back homers and a 5-4 lead.
Edmoundson faced her last test in the fifth inning. With two runners in scoring position and only one out, she struck out one Tiger and popped the other out to second to emerge from the frame unscathed.
Puni greeted the new Tiger pitcher by reaching the Lady Vols magic number in the bottom of the inning, leaving no doubt on her second homer of the game and going past the bleachers in right center for a 7-4 lead. The two-run shot catapulted the sophomore into the team lead for RBIs, becoming the first Lady Vol to reach 50 this season.
Auburn offered no resistance over the final two innings and the Lady Vols improved to 14-8 in SEC play. A win tomorrow would give the program its most SEC wins since 2017 and back-to-back sweeps of the Tigers for the first time since 2012 and 2013.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols take their five-game winning streak against the Tigers into the regular season finale with a lot on the line. A win on Sunday and an Alabama loss would give Tennessee the No. 2 seed in next week’s SEC tournament in Gainesville, Florida. First pitch is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and can be seen on SEC Network+.
-UT Athletics
Jameson Rodgers‘ new album Live From Oxford, MS is available now.
Jameson shares why he’s releasing a live album, “Performing live might be the most rewarding thing I get to do as an artist. Over the years I’ve played in a lot of different places and there’s nothing quite like the energy in Oxford, MS with a hometown crowd. Tried to bottle that up for y’all as much as I could with this live album.”
The 8-tracks on Live From Oxford, MS include Jameson’s number-one hit “Some Girls”
Live From Oxford, MS track list;
1. “Bars Back Home”
2. “Girls That Smoke”
3. “Cold Beer Calling My Name”
4. “Missing One”
5. “Girl with the Broken Heart”
6. “Good Dogs”
7. “Midnight Daydream”
8. “Some Girls”
Jameson says, “This live album is a ‘thank you’ to the people who have listened to my music, who have come to shows for 10 years and sang at the top of their lungs, who have connected with things I’ve written and shared their stories with me, and also to relive one of my favorite shows I’ve ever played.”
Live From Oxford, MS from Jameson Rodgers is available now and includes his current single “Missing One.”
Photo Credit: Matt Bender
Country singer and actor Mickey Gilley, known for launching the Urban Cowboy movement in Country music and hit songs including “Stand By Me,” “Room Full of Roses” and “Lonely Nights,” died Saturday, May 7th, in Branson, Missouri at the age of 86.
Gilley, a native of Natchez, Mississippi, influenced generations of country singers for decades with his signature, haunting combination of Louisiana rhythm and blues and country-pop crossover melodies. He grew up with his famous cousins, Jerry Lee Lewis, surrounded by the influence of music and earned 39 Top 10 hits and 17 No. 1 songs throughout his career.
In 1971, Gilley opened his world-famous honky-tonk Gilley’s in Pasadena, Texas, which sparked a chain of the famous nightclubs.
The son of Arthur Fillmore Gilley and Irene (Lewis) Gilley, Mickey learned how to play piano from Jerry Lee and dabbled in boogie-woogie and gospel music early in his career before finding his professional footing in the ’70s with “Room Full of Roses.” Hits “Chains of Love,” “Honky Tonk Memories,” “She’s Pulling Me Back Again,” and “Here Comes the Hurt Again” followed as his honky-tonk gave way to the more progressive countrypolitan.
In 1980, Gilley splashed into pop culture when he appeared in the smash hit movie “Urban Cowboy” alongside John Travolta, Debra Winger and Johnny Lee. Gilley’s served as the backdrop for the film, which helped launch his acting career and put his music career on a whole new level. Gilley went on to star in popular television series including “Murder She Wrote,” “The Fall Guy,” “Fantasy Island” and “Dukes of Hazzard.”
Gilley was widely recognized for his work in music and movies, earning numerous accolades, including six Academy of Country Music Awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2011. He was one of only a handful of artists to receive the Academy of Country Music’s Triple Crown Awards.
Gilley had just come off of the road having played ten shows in April, with more shows scheduled throughout the summer.
He passed peacefully with his family and close friends by his side.
Gilley was preceded in death by his wife, Vivian. He is survived by his wife Cindy Loeb Gilley, his children Kathy, Michael, Gregory and Keith Ray, four grandchildren and nine great grandchildren and his cousin Jerry Lee Lewis.
The family respectfully requests privacy at this time.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Tennessee’s bats continued to struggle as the top-ranked Volunteers fell to Kentucky, 5-2, in Game 2 of its series against the Wildcats in Lexington.
The game was delayed an hour and 43 minutes before a pitch was even thrown due to lightning in the area on Friday night. The game was then suspended with one out in the top of the eighth because of heavy rain before being completed on Saturday afternoon. The Vols were trailing 4-2 when the game was stopped in the late hours of Friday night.
UT (41-6, 19-4 SEC) was unable to mount a comeback once the game was resumed on Saturday, giving the Vols their first series loss of the season.
Blade Tidwell made his third consecutive weekend start but lasted just three innings, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out four batters in a losing effort.
Sophomore right hander Chase Dollander pitched extremely well out of the bullpen to keep UT within striking distance. The Georgia native allowed just one unearned run on two hits in four innings and finished with five strikeouts in his first SEC outing since getting injured against Alabama on April 16.
Drew Gilbert, Trey Lipscomb, Jorel Ortega, Evan Russell and Christian Moore each recorded one hit for the Big Orange, but those were the only five base knocks Tennessee as able to produce in the game.
The Wildcats (26-20, 9-14 SEC) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second with a solo home run to left-center field by Ryan Ritter before adding two more runs in the third to pull ahead, 3-0, but the Vols responded immediately with two runs in the next inning to get right back in the game.
The Big Orange scored a pair of runs to chase UK starter Austin Strickland and cut the Kentucky lead to one in the top of the fourth. Jordan Beck walked to lead off the inning and scored all the way from first on an RBI double by Trey Lipscomb to get UT on the board. Jorel Ortega followed with an RBI double of his own down the right-field line to make it a 3-2 game. Tennessee had a chance to tie or even take the lead with runners on the corners and only one out, but a strikeout and long flyout ended the threat.
Kentucky made the Vols pay for an error in the bottom of the sixth, scoring an unearned run to extend its lead to 4-2. Daniel Harris IV reached on an error before coming around the score on a two-out double by Oraj Anu that one-hopped the wall in center field.
The Wildcats added another insurance run in the bottom of the eighth with an RBI groundout by Anu to give them a three-run lead heading into the ninth.
Junior reliever Zack Lee was able to quiet the Tennessee bats once again with 3.1 scoreless innings out of the pen, allowing just one hit and one walk to pick up the win.
Sean Harney pitched the final 1.2 innings for the Wildcats to pick up his first save of the year.
LIPSCOMB MOVING UP RBI LIST: With his double in the fourth inning, Trey Lipscomb drove in his 66th run of the season to move into a tie for ninth on UT’s single-season list with Todd Helton (1993) and Doug Hecker (1991). The Vols’ junior third baseman is the first Tennessee player to record 66 or more RBIs in a season since Cody Hawn had 81 in 2009. Lipscomb leads the SEC in RBIs this season.
ROAD STREAK SNAPPED: With the Game 2 loss, the Vols had their streak of consecutive road series wins snapped at 10. Tennessee had won nine straight SEC road series entering the weekend, including sweeps in all three prior road series this season.
-UT Athletics
Dylan Scott and Jimmie Allen are together on the new song “In Our Blood.”
Dylan says “From the moment I heard this song, I was in love and knew it was something special. I’m honored to deliver such a powerful message with my buddy Jimmie Allen.”
Go behind the scenes of the music video and the song with Dylan and Jimmie…
“In Our Blood” is one of the 16-tracks you will find on Scott’s upcoming album Livin’ My Best Life – arriving August 5th.
Check out “In Our Blood” from Dylan Scott and Jimmie Allen here…
Photo Courtesy of Dylan Scott & Jimmie Allen
Nate Smith‘s new song “Whiskey On You” is available now.
Nate says “I’ve been so excited to release this song because it really feels like a summer anthem!”
Sharing the story behind the inspiration for the track, Smith shares “I’ve recently gone through some personal stuff, and this song was an avenue for me to express what it feels like getting to the other side.”
Check out “Whiskey On You” from Nate Smith.
Photo Credit: Matthew Berinato
Midland‘s new album The Last Resort: Greetings From is out now!
Before the album arrived, the trio released the title track because it gave fans an idea of where the whole project was heading.
Midland’s Cameron Duddy says, “We wanted ‘The Last Resort’ to be a track released before the album arrives, because it’s kind of a manifesto for everything else. You know sometimes the last resort doesn’t mean you’ve run out of options, but more that you’ve decided you’re going for the place or the thing that’s going to set you free. That freedom of letting go and falling into space, giving it over to fate? That’s where real living begins…”
Talking about their song “Sunrise Tell The Story” Duddy shares, “It’s a buckle-polishing song. Some songs dance all around it, but the truth is really told when the sun comes up. We’ve never shied away from getting into the high grass when it comes to the way sex and romantic adventure are a big piece of what Country music was, and we think should be. But sometimes, the hunter gets captured by the game.”
Talking about The Last Resort: Greetings From, lead singer Mark Wystrach says “It’s about more than the roots, because that makes you think of something that’s buried, which this music shouldn’t be. It’s about creating Country music that’s pure in a different kind of way, that draws on some of what’s been left behind but shouldn’t be. Some of these songs are pure Gary Stewart, others are the earliest Eagles stuff when they really were Country.”
Now that the full album is available for fans to check out, Midland’s Jess Carson says “There are a lot of honky-tonk truths, some of them are the way a guitar or steel twines around the melody, almost a counterpoint or counter-narrative. To us, the playing is as important as the vocals or the lyrics. It’s not just a big wad of sound, but how the tracks build to extract the song’s essence. It’s a different thing, but it lets us not just have a sound, but make the songs more than just the hook… We’re trying to have people lean in, listen to the rest of what’s going on, too.”
One of the tracks that fans were looking forward to on The Last Resort: Greetings From, is “Longneck Way To Go” – their duet with Jon Pardi.
Midland’s The Last Resort: Greetings From is available now.
Photo Courtesy of Midland
