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NO. 8/10 LADY VOLS SCORE IN 6TH TO EDGE NO. 1/2 ALABAMA, 2-1
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. --
Rainey Gaffin's pinch-hit RBI double in the sixth proved to be the
difference in Saturday's pitchers' duel between Ivy Renfroe and Leslie
Jury, lifting No. 8/10 Tennessee to a 2-1 win over No. 1/2 Alabama at
Lee Stadium.
The UT win marks the first time since 2007 that the Lady Vols have knocked off a No. 1 team in back-to-back games.
Tennessee
(21-3, 2-0 SEC) struck first with a run in the bottom of the first but
Alabama (22-3, 0-2 SEC) answered with a score in the top of the second
to even the game at 1-1. The teams combined to leave 15 runners on base
(seven for the Crimson Tide, eight for the Lady Vols) in an
edge-of-your-seat contest where every play mattered. In the end, it was
Gaffin's knock to center field that Haylie McCleney dropped after
hitting the wall that proved to be the game's key play.
Lauren
Gibson was 2-for-2 with one RBI. Kat Dotson had a pair of hits, a run
scored and a stolen base. Melissa Davin scored what ended up being the
game-winning run on Gaffin's hit in the sixth.
Ivy
Renfroe (8-1) got stronger as the game progressed and finished with
seven strikeouts and just one run allowed over seven solid frames for
her fifth complete game of the season.
Jury (8-1) suffered her first loss of the season and struck out six batters with two earned runs allowed over six innings.
In
the bottom of the first, Dotson connected for a one-out single up the
middle and stole second base in the next at-bat. Gibson plated her from
second with an RBI single to the outfield to give UT the 1-0 edge.
Alabama
would not stay down for long. Danae Hays was hit by a pitch to open the
third inning. Three batters later, Andrea Hawkins clubbed a single down
the right field line to score Hays from second base and make it a 1-1
ballgame.
Tennessee left the bases loaded in the
bottom of the third, missing out on an opportunity to take command of
the game when Jury induced a lineout to left field with two outs.
Davin
came up with a big leadoff single to left field to open the bottom of
the sixth. Hannah Akamine's sacrifice bunt to third moved Davin into
scoring position. Two batters later, Gaffin made her SEC debut as a
pinch hitter. On a 2-2 count, Gaffin hammered a pitch high and to the
wall in center field. McCleney drifted back to the wall to make the
catch, but upon impact with the padding, she dropped the ball. The call
was disputed, but the ruling on the field by the umpires that the ball
was dropped stood.
The Lady Vols and the Crimson
Tide will conclude their season series on Sunday when they play at 1:30
p.m. ET. Be sure to reset your clocks as Sunday marks the "spring
forward" part of daylight savings time.
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