After a weak offensive weekend against Florida, the Lady Vols rebounded in a big way on Tuesday night.
Tennessee defeated Tennessee Tech 8-0 in six innings in its first home game in over two weeks. The No. 4 Lady Vols (29-3, 6-3 SEC) hit .409 on the night after posting a .178 mark against the Gators, with the offense finding its footing behind a strong performance from sophomore pitcher Erin Nuwer. She tossed her third-career no-hitter in blanking the Golden Eagles.
The lineup featured a few tweaks, with Sophia Knight moving into the three-hole and Gabby Leach taking the leadoff spot.
“It was just more situational hitting,” Knight said. “I’m up a lot as the leadoff with no runners on, and coach wanted me to work on that.”
Both teams got off to slow starts. Tennessee stranded two early baserunners after reaching by a hit by pitch and an error by Bella Faw. The Lady Vols didn’t have anything in the tank offensively in the first frame, going down in three consecutive groundouts.
Tennessee Tech kept making contact in the second but couldn’t capitalize. Saviya Morgan tracked down two fly balls in the wind to get Tennessee back on the offensive.
The Lady Vols broke through in the second inning. Emma Clarke ripped a double to the right side, and Maddi Rutan followed with her third home run of the year, launching one over the left field batter’s eye for a 2-0 lead.
Nuwer settled in after a rocky start. After walking a batter in the third, she retired the next three and then took care of the top of the fourth in just 11 pitches while striking out two.
“The first couple innings, I was not super pleased,” head coach Karen Weekly said. “There were too many noncompetitive pitches. Her stuff’s too good for her to mess around like that.”
Tennessee added another pair of runs in the fourth. Knight led off with a triple after the left fielder missed a diving attempt, and Makenzie Butt drove her home with a hit through the right side. Pinch runner Meredith Barnhart then scored on Clarke’s second double of the night after a throwing error allowed her to race home for a 4-0 lead.
The Lady Vols kept applying pressure in the fifth. Leach and Ella Dodge were both hit by pitches, and Knight loaded the bases with a bunt. Elsa Morrison fouled out, but Leach tagged up from third to extend the lead to 5-0.
Barnhart, who scored her fourth career run two innings earlier, added the first double of her career with a shot down the right field line.
Nuwer worked into the sixth, finishing with three strikeouts and nine groundouts induced with just 68 pitches thrown.
With a 7-0 lead in the sixth, junior Alannah Leach pinch hit for Faw and ended the game by mashing a solo home run to right field to enact the run rule.
Tennessee improves to 29-3 and 23-0 in nonconference play. The Lady Vols return home next to host Ole Miss.
“We made a good stride tonight toward being the offensive team we want to be,” Weekly said. “The challenge now is to stay consistent with that mentality and not get attached emotionally to results.”
