COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 16 Tennessee softball bounced back in a big way Sunday night, run-ruling South Carolina, 11-0, at the Carolina Softball Stadium.

The Lady Vols (32-7, 5-6 SEC) broke out the bats as they racked up 13 hits on the night. Five players picked up a pair of hits in the win, led by Cailin Hannon who went 2-for-5 with a team-leading four RBIs. It is the second four-RBI game for Hannon this season.

In the circle, Callie Turner twirled a gem, no-hitting South Carolina through five and allowing just one-hit all night. With the victory, Turner improves to 8-1 on the year and picks up the first conference win of her career.

UT broke open the game in the second inning, scoring four runs on four hits. Ivy Davis got things started with a leadoff double in the right centerfield gap, before advancing to third on a wild pitch. Ally Shipman made her return to the UT lineup Sunday and drove Davis home on a double down the left field line for the game’s first run.

After a ground out, Kaitlin Parsons drew a walk and Anna Fox singled to load the bases for Cailin Hannon. Hannon smoked a bases-clearing double to left center, giving UT a 4-0 advantage.

Tennessee added to the lead in the fourth on a RBI sac fly from Ashley Morgan that scored Kiki Milloy. In the fifth, it was Milloy driving in a run as she laced a single to right that plated Parsons to push the UT lead to 6-0.

The Lady Vols put the game away in the sixth, scoring five runs on five hits to create the run-rule 11-0 win.

Along with Hannon’s big night at the plate, Shipman went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base in her first game since April 4 against Kentucky.

Parsons scored three runs in the victory as she went 1-for-1 with three walks and a RBI.

For South Carolina (23-16, 2-12 SEC), Cayla Drotar suffered the loss as she tossed just 1.1 innings and allowed four runs on four hits. She falls to 3-5 on the year.

UP NEXT
Tennessee and South Carolina play a rubber match game tomorrow night beginning at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

Box Score | Overall Stats | SEC Stats | Series Stats

-UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 3 Tennessee was unable to contain the bats of No. 2 Vanderbilt in a 10-4 loss in Sunday’s rubber game at Lindsey Nelson Stadium, dropping its first series of the season.

The Commodores finished the game with 12 hits and scored seven of their 10 runs with two outs. Five players had multiple hits for Vandy on the day, led by designated hitter Jack Bulger, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI, and leadoff man Enrique Bradfield Jr., who reached based four times, stole four bases and scored three runs. The first four hitters in the Commodores’ lineup all had multi-hit days and combined for nine of the teams 12 total hits.

The Vols did display some impressive power with four home runs for the second consecutive game. All four of UT’s runs came courtesy of solo shots from Max Ferguson, Jake Rucker, Evan Russell and Jackson Greer. Luc Lipcius had the Vols’ only other hit in the game with a single.

After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first, the Vols responded quickly with back-to-back home runs from Ferguson and Rucker in the bottom of the inning to take a 2-1 lead. It marked the second straight game that UT hit back-to-back homers after Connor Pavolony and Russell accomplished the feat in Saturday’s win.

Following a scoreless second inning, Vanderbilt (28-6 // 11-4 SEC) regained the lead with two runs in the third before scoring three runs in the fourth to take a 6-2 advantage.

Russell hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth to cut the deficit to three, his fourth long ball of the series, to give Tennessee some life, however, that would be as close as the Vols would get for the remainder of the afternoon as the Dores scored two runs each in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 10-3 lead.

Greer’s solo shot in the seventh, his first homer as a Volunteer, rounded out the scoring on the day.

Freshman right hander Blade Tidwell looked good through two innings but struggled in the third and fourth before being pulled. He was stuck with the loss after allowing four runs on six hits and a walk in three innings pitched.

Mark McLaughlin and Redmond Walsh had solid performances out of the bullpen, combining for 3.1 shutout innings to finish the game.

The Vols (29-8 // 10-5 SEC) will take on another in-state foe this coming Tuesday night when Tennessee Tech comes to town. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed on Watch ESPN and the ESPN app.

NOTABLE

RUSSELL HOMERS AGAIN: With a solo home run in the fourth inning, Evan Russell hit his fourth dinger of the series after a three-homer day in Saturday’s win. The senior from Lexington, Tennessee, leads the team with 10 four baggers this season and 10 of his 21 hits on the year have left the yard.

POWER SURGE: For the second straight game, the Vols blasted four home runs. All four of their long balls on Saturday were of the solo variety and came from four different players, marking the first time this season that UT has had four separate players homer in a game. Jackson Greer’s seventh-inning homer was the first as a Volunteer for the Knoxville native who joined the team this season as a graduate transfer from ETSU. He is the 13th different player to homer for Tennessee this season.

HALFWAY THROUGH SEC PLAY: At the halfway point of conference play, the Vols boast a 10-5 record, which is its best through 15 games since also going 10-5 in 2005, the last UT team to make it to the College World Series.

Box Score (PDF) | Series Stats (PDF) | Postgame Pressers (Vitello & Rucker)

-UT Athletics