Since arriving in California on Thursday to compete in the Mary Nutter Classic, the Tennessee softball team had put together a complete performance from the circle and the plate.

Before Saturday’s contests, Tennessee (16-1) had scored a combined 35 runs and allowed just four in four straight convincing wins versus BYU, Bethune-Cookman, UC Davis and Oregon State.

For the high-powered No. 11 Lady Vols on Saturday against No. 5 Oregon (10-3), it was a different story that focused on pitching. However, it was still Tennessee, behind junior Matty Moss (8-1), who came out on top, 1-0.

The deciding run in the game came in the bottom of the first inning, marking Tennessee’s fifth straight game with at least one run in the first.

Sophomore Jenna Holcomb singled to get on first base and would later score when senior shortstop Meghan Gregg stepped up to the plate and doubled down the left field line to put the Lady Vols up, 1-0.

Despite putting together a six-hit performance as a team over the next five innings, Tennessee wasn’t able to score again, but neither was Oregon.

Moss dominated from the circle, allowing just three hits while recording six strikeouts and keeping the Ducks scoreless in six innings of play.

Sophomore pitcher Caylan Arnold sealed the victory for Tennessee, coming in for relief duty in the top of the seventh. In just one inning of play, Arnold recorded two strikeouts and allowed three hits in the win.

In its second and final game of the day, Tennessee looked to leave Palm Springs with a complete sweep, this time versus Northwestern, and were successful, dropping the Wildcats, 6-1.

The pitcher’s duel in the Oregon contest carried over into the next game as both the Wildcats and Lady Vols struggled to muster any hits against each others’ pitching staffs.

Both teams were held scoreless through the first three innings and, for the first time since a 7-6 loss to Florida Atlantic last Saturday, Tennessee couldn’t cross the plate in the first inning.

The stalemate was finally broken in the bottom of the third, as Holcomb singled into left field to bring in the game’s first run and put the Lady Vols ahead, 1-0.

Tennessee wasn’t done working in the third, as sophomore Chelsea Seggern doubled into right field to score Aubrey Leach, Holcomb and Meghan Gregg to blow the game open make it a 4-0 advantage in favor of the Lady Vols.

The Wildcats were finally able to cut into Tennessee’s lead in the top of the sixth to make a 4-1 ballgame, but it was too little, too late for Northwestern, as the Lady Vols’ bats got hot in the bottom half of the sixth.

Freshman Ashley Morgan got things started with a single up the middle to get on first. A couple of at-bats later, Ayala was walked by the Northwestern pitcher to get two on for Tennessee.

Junior Katie Weimer came to the plate and loaded up the bases with an in-field single, which set up an Aubrey Leach single that scored two runs due to a throwing error by the Wildcats, giving Tennessee a 6-1 lead.

The Lady Vols’ big sixth inning virtually put things out of reach, and Arnold did the rest to retire the sides, with two more strikeouts on the last two at-bats to secure Tennessee’s 16th win of the season.

Arnold (6-0) followed it up with a strong showing in the circle, striking out 13 batters and allowing only three hits in the six innings she played.

In total, the Tennessee offense put together a seven-hit performance in the game to complement its six runs.

The 17-game road trip has finally come to an end for Tennessee, as it will now turn its focus to Knoxville, where the Lady Vols will have their home opener against Charleston Southern in game one of the Tennessee Invitational at Sheri Parker Lee Stadium.

The invitational will start on March 2. In addition to Charleston Southern (10-3), Tennessee will also take on Toledo (5-3) and South Alabama (6-7).