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NO. 1 TENNESSEE PICKS UP WINS OVER NORTHERN COLORADO, GEORGIA SOUTHERN
No. 1 Tennessee saw its
power bats come alive on Saturday in an 8-3 win over Northern Colorado
followed by a 1-0 win over Georgia Southern in Day 2 of the Eagle Round
Robin in Statesboro, Ga.
After early rain delays
pushed back the start of Saturday’s games, Tennessee (3-0) used a
late-inning surge thanks to home runs from Lexi Overstreet and Taylor
Koenig to power past Northern Colorado. In the evening a home run by
Melissa Davin and a 10-strikeout shutout from Ellen Renfroe was all the
Lady Vols needed to defeat host Georgia Southern.
NO. 1 TENNESSEE 8, Northern Colorado 3
The
Lady Vols defeated Northern Colorado, 8-3, in their second game in as
many days at the Eagle Round Robin Tournament on Saturday behind the
strong relief pitching of Rainey Gaffin and a big bat in Lexi
Overstreet.
Tennessee (2-0) tallied two runs in
the third, added one in the fourth, three in the fifth and two more in
the sixth to beat Northern Colorado (0-2) for a second time. Overstreet
led the Lady Vols with two hits and three RBI's including a two-run
home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to pull Tennessee ahead for
the final time. Taylor Koenig also hit her first career home run and
went 2-for-4 at the plate with double.
Gaffin, a
sophomore, led the team in pitching after leaving her normal center
field duties. She finished the game with two and two-thirds innings
pitched, allowing no runs and striking out seven Northern Colorado
batters along the way. Starter Erin Gabriel threw four and one-third
frames with four strikeouts and two earned runs allowed.
Northern Colorado got on the board first when Megan Wilkinson had solo home run in the top of the third inning off Gabriel.
The
Lady Vols answered back immediately. Megan Geer walked to lead off the
bottom half of the inning. After a stolen base and wild pitch, Gaffin
walked to put runners on first and third. Two batters later, an error
by the Bears shortstop on Melissa Davin's ground ball scored Geer and
tied the game. The following batter for the Lady Vols, Overstreet,
ripped a single through the middle scoring Gaffin and giving Tennessee
the lead.
Tennessee added another run in the
bottom of the fourth inning. Koenig reached base on a double down the
right field line. Fellow freshmen Shaliyah Geathers - who was getting
her first career start - doubled up the middle, scoring Koenig and
extending the Lady Vols' lead to 3-1.
Nicole
Hudson, the Bears' first batter of the fifth inning, walked on four
pitches. After a sac bunt and a passed ball she was driven in from
third by an RBI double from Wilkinson cutting the Tennessee lead to one
run. Gaffin replaced Gabriel as the Tennessee pitcher before an error
by Cheyanne Tarango allows another Northern Colorado run to cross the
plate, tying the game at 3-3.
Overstreet responded
in the bottom of the fifth inning for Tennessee after lifting a 2-1
pitch over the fence driving in Davin as well - the Lady Vols' first
home run of the season. Two batters later, Koenig connected on a solo
shot as well putting Tennessee up 6-3.
Tennessee
added to its lead in the bottom of the sixth when Geer trotted into
second base on a standup double. She made it home two wild pitches
later giving UT a 7-3 lead. With two on and two outs, Tarango singled
in Madison Shipman, adding another run to Tennessee's tally, 8-3.
NO. 1 TENNESSEE 1, Georgia Southern 0
Tennessee
ace Ellen Renfroe came ready to play Saturday and carried the Lady Vols
past Georgia Southern, 1-0, in their second game of the day at the
Eagle Round Robin Tournament in Statesboro, Ga.
The
Lady Vols scored one run in the second off of a solo homer by Melissa
Davin and held the Eagles scoreless for the remainder of the game.
Renfroe
pitched seven shutout innings of two-hit softball, striking out 10 and
only walking one batter. The senior from Jackson, Tenn. followed her
shutout performance Friday against Northern Colorado with an even more
impressive one today.
Davin’s solo home run to
lead off the second inning was the difference in the game that featured
two impressive pitchers. Taylor Koenig, Cheyanne Tarango and Hannah
Akamine also added hits for the Lady Vols.
After
Davin's shot in the top of the second inning, Koenig and Tarango both
reached base with singles but the Lady Vols failed to convert on the
opportunity with two outs.
Akamine's hit came with
no outs in the fifth inning but a strikeout by Gaffin and two fly-ball
outs to the catcher by Annie Aldrete and Madison Shipman neutralized
the threat.
Meanwhile, Renfroe consistently struck
out the Eagle batters finishing the game with two strikeouts in the
bottom of the seventh to ice the game.
The Lady
Vols enter the season ranked No. 1 in both USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll
and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 poll. In its three wins in
Statesboro, Tennessee has outscored opponents 17-3.
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