In the heart of softball season there is little time to dwell on wins and losses. After a marquee series that ended Sunday against Southeastern Conference foe and the nation’s No. 1 team, Alabama, Tennessee is back on the diamond Tuesday.
“You can’t dwell over this loss for very long,” Madison Shipman said after Sunday’s game against Alabama. “That’s how it is during the season: you can’t dwell over the wins too long and same with the losses. You have to put it behind you, learn from it, grow from it and then go out there and play again.”
Tennessee (21-4, 2-1 SEC) took the series, 2-1, from the Crimson Tide over the weekend by winning the first two games but were bested by Alabama, 7-1, in Sunday’s contest. The loss left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Lady Vols who look to get back on track against Winthrop University (11-11, 1-2 Big South) on Tuesday night.
“I am disappointed in today, but I expect them to recoup, regroup and come back strong against Winthrop on Tuesday,” co-head coach Ralph Weekly said.
The Eagles are riding a three-game winning streak and have taken five of their last seven.
Winthrop is led by senior Chelsey Schoenfeldt and junior McKenzi Corn at the plate. Schoenfeldt is hitting at a .323 clip and has driven in 25 runs with a team-leading six home runs. For Corn, she holds a team-leading .431 batting average, with seven doubles and 11 RBIs.
In the pitchers circle, the Eagles pitch by committee, much like the Lady Vols.
Five ladies have toed the rubber for Winthrop on the year, but the go-to arm is sophomore Sutton Watson from Sumnter, S.C. Watson has appeared in 17 games with 13 starts, and boast an 8-6 record with a 3.36 ERA.
For the Lady Vols, they will look to continue their strong play and notch another victory before traveling to Gainesville, Fla., to play another top 10 team in the Florida Gators.
Shipman, who had a hot bat against the Crimson Tide hitting .300 for the series with a game-winning RBI, a home run and two runs scored, wants to keep her momentum going at the plate.
“I was able to get some good hits this weekend,” she said. “We just need to keep it going moving forward.”
Other than freshman Erin Gabriel, who was nicked by Alabama to the tune of five hits and five runs — three earned, the Tennessee pitching staff was very strong over the weekend. Senior Ivy Renfroe threw 9 and 1/3 innings over the weekend, surrendering just one run on eight hits.
Game time between the Lady Vols and Eagles is set for 5 p.m.
