After coming up short in the past two weekends, the Lady Vols have finally found their footing.
Tennessee softball secured its third SEC series win, knocking South Carolina off 4-2 in the rubber match on Saturday evening at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. The Lady Vols (32-6, 9-6 SEC) got offensive production when they needed it most, knocking off the Gamecocks (23-17, 3-9) for a much-needed victory.
A different offensive story
After a forgettable Friday night that saw the Lady Vols score one run, Saturday was a different story. Tennessee’s bats went early and often, picking up seven hits after managing four on Friday.
“We competed,” head coach Karen Weekly said. “We were just way more competitive tonight, and we didn’t let our emotions go up or down with anything.”
A three-run second inning was the cornerstone behind Tennessee’s win. Meredith Barnhart started the action, racing home after Maddi Rutan laid down a sacrifice bunt. Saviya Morgan joined her two at-bats later, scoring from third after a fielder’s choice to first base. Ella Dodge drove in the last runner, scoring Gabby Leach after a triple down the right field line.
It was exactly the cushion the Lady Vols needed. They added one more run in the third frame on a home run by Alannah Leach, her third of the weekend to make it a 4-0 game.
Pickens and Mardjetko holding it down
With a four-run lead, all Tennessee needed was a solid defensive outing. Sage Mardjetko got the start against her former team, and she made the best of it. The junior tossed the first 3.1 innings, striking out three batters. She allowed two hits and was pulled after a double.
Karlyn Pickens took over in the circle, closing out the last 3.2 innings. She struck out five batters, allowing two hits but securing the win. After a few shaky performances as of late, the looked like herself on Sunday. She handled the Gamecocks with ease, sealing the win.
“I thought we competed all night,” Weekly said. “Whether we got a hit, smoked a ball, or popped it up, we were competing every pitch.”
Bouncing back when it counts
Saturday’s win snaps a difficult stretch for the Lady Vols, but it doesn’t get the monkey off their back.
In all six of the Lady Vols’ losses this season, they’ve scored two or fewer runs. Though the pattern begun to raise questions about Tennessee’s consistency, Saturday evening put that notion to the side.
The Lady Vols made sure there would be no South Carolina response after the fourth frame, allowing just a single in the final three innings. With the win, Tennessee moves to 32-6 and 9-6 in conference play. Tennessee is sixth place in the SEC, sitting just behind 8-5 Texas A&M.
The Lady Vols have two midweek games, hosting ETSU on April 7 and Kennesaw State on April 8. They’ll travel to Lexington, Kentucky, on April 11-13, taking on the Wildcats.
