Entering the weekend on a four-game SEC winning streak, UT’s softball team looked to continue its success by sweeping another conference opponent. Last weekend, the No. 11 Lady Vols (29-6, 7-4 SEC) downed the South Carolina Gamecocks in Knoxville with three victories, two of which ended in walk-off home runs. This weekend would include another walk-off home run, a disappointing loss and a rout of No. 21 Auburn (29-7, 9-5 SEC).

Friday

On a cool, damp night at Lee Softball Stadium, the Lady Vols opened the weekend in dramatic fashion, fighting off and eventually defeating the pesky Auburn Tigers 2-1 in a defensive battle that totaled 10 innings.

The 1,072 fans in attendance, as well as a live national audience via ESPNU, witnessed a spectacle in the bottom of the 10th inning, when UT senior center fielder Kelly Grieve blasted a walk-off home run. The solo shot was her fourth of the season and the Lady Vols’ third walk-off in four outings.

“Tonight’s game was a classic pitcher’s duel between two really good pitchers and involving two really good teams,” Lady Vols co-head coach Ralph Weekly said. “A hard-fought game like this one tonight is what the Southeastern Conference is all about.”

UT’s Ellen Renfroe dominated on the mound, pitching a complete game and allowing one earned run, while striking out 20 Tigers. The freshman Renfroe progressed to 16-2 on the year, continuing to prove herself as a major factor in the Lady Vols national ranking.

Angel Bunner pitched well for the Tigers but took the loss, completing nine innings and striking out nine Lady Vols.

The stat of the night for the Tigers was 11 — the number of runners left stranded on base. Tennessee tallied seven hits, though none proved as instrumental to the win as Grieve’s blast in the 10th.

Saturday

The Lady Vols were greeted at Lee Softball Stadium Saturday by sunshine and wind. The strong gusts blowing towards right-center did not let up during the afternoon and altered every pop fly that hung in the air.

The wind may have also altered the Lady Vols in some way, as they committed three errors, seemed to lack communication in the field and ultimately dropped the decision 9-1 in seven innings.

Weekly described the game as “just a Tiger day” and said he was disappointed in the way the Lady Vols executed and made errors.

Tennessee started Renfroe’s sister, Ivy Renfroe, on the mound. The sophomore pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed five earned runs on seven hits. Junior Cat Hosfield came in on relief effort and allowed two earned runs off six hits.

Auburn’s success in the first and sixth innings was key, as the Tigers scored three in each. The pressure put on the Lady Vols was too much for them to handle, as they never seemed to figure out Auburn pitcher Lauren Schmalz’s delivery style.

Tennessee totaled just four hits on the day and didn’t score after the second inning.

Sunday

Under blue skies and another banner day at Lee Softball Stadium, the Lady Vols came out in full force, pounding the Tigers for seven runs in the sixth inning en route to an 8-0 win in a six-inning mercy-rule decision. Co-head coach Ralph Weekly had nothing but praise for his squad after the game in which his team cranked out five hits in the sixth and final inning.

“This game was huge for us,” Weekly said.

On the mound for the Lady Vols was Ellen Renfroe, who made her second start of the weekend, earning another win as well. Renfroe managed to hold her composure all game long, taking full command on the mound.

“You have to give Tennessee credit, they came out and played very well today,” Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. “Ellen (Renfroe) hit her spots and really kept us from putting anything together.”

Tennessee held a 1-0 lead through six innings until junior Shelby Burchell crushed her 10th home run of the year, a three-run shot that put the Vols up four. The Lady Vols didn’t let up, either, scoring four more runs in the inning. Tennessee’s Kat Dotson walked in to score the game-ending run and give the Lady Vols their seventh SEC win.

“This was a great team effort today against a very solid opponent in the Auburn Tigers,” Weekly said. “We were very aggressive at the plate and on the base paths, and it paid off for us with an important win.”

The Lady Vols head down to Georgia to take on the Lady Bulldogs in Athens on April 6 for a doubleheader, beginning at 4 p.m.