Tennessee softball defeated Penn State 4-1 at Sherri Lee Parker Stadium on Friday night, remaining perfect as it wrapped up day one of the Tennessee Invitational Tournament.
The Lady Vols (16-0) defeated Appalachian State 9-1 earlier in the day and needed a late score to beat the Nittany Lions (14-3).
Both teams had one base runner in the first. After an error allowed the Nittany Lions a baserunner, Sage Mardjetko and solid fielding by the Lady Vols quickly handled the other three batters. The junior pitcher picked up her 40th strikeout of the season.
Gabby Leach singled to second base, getting Tennessee a runner on with just one out. The next two batters couldn’t advance her, striking out and lining out to the shortstop to end the first frame.
The slow start continued into the second inning. Two of Penn State’s batters struck out, with the last grounding out to Mardjetko. Tennessee fared no better, with all three batters striking out in the bottom of the frame.
The scoreless contest continued through the third frame. The Nittany Lions managed another runner by way of a walk with two outs, but a groundout continued to frustrate them.
Tennessee’s offense managed to knock on the door, but a strikeout managed to keep it a 0-0 contest. Maddi Rutan singled to the pitcher, but Bella Faw and Sophia Knight did the heavy lifting. They advanced Rutan to third with a sacrifice bunt and a ground out, the first runner in scoring position of the game. Leach walked and stole second, giving Tennessee two potential scores.
Though freshman Elsa Morrison had three hits in the first game of the doubleheader, she struck out with two outs to end the third inning.
The fourth frame saw the first offensive action of the contest. Penn State’s Allison Oneacre took Mardjetko’s pitch into the left field stands, taking a 1-0 lead. After her first allowed home run of the season, Mardjetko struck out the final two batters to limit the damage.
“She (Mardjetko) rebounded right away,” head coach Karen Weekley said. “She didn’t let that phase her. Obviously, pitchers don’t like to give up home runs, but it’s going to happen. She just got right back in there and attacked the next batter, and the next and the next.”
The Lady Vols knocked on the door again in the fourth, still to no avail. Rutan walked, loading the bases with two outs. Weekley elected to pinch-hit Makenzie Butt for Faw, but the decision didn’t prove fruitful. Butt grounded out to third base, bringing Tennessee’s scoreless streak to four innings.
Mardjetko kept dealing in the circle, striking out two of the next three batters as the Lady Vols looked for another offensive opportunity.
That break would come in the bottom of the fifth inning. Knight, Leach and Morrison all reached base without any outs, giving Tennessee a great chance to get on the board. Ella Dodge launched a home run into the left field stands, her fifth of the season, clearing the bases and giving the Lady Vols a 4-1 lead.
“For me, it’s just being able to help my team out in any way possible,” Dodge said about her mentality in clutch moments. “Knowing that if I’m not going to get it done, the person after me is going to get it done. One through nine and everyone on the bench, whoever it is, they’re going to come in and do their job.”
Tennessee was unable to score the remainder of the inning despite scoring four runs with no outs, limiting the damage for the Nittany Lions as they were up to bat next. The top of the sixth was the shortest of the evening as 10 pitches forced two groundouts and a flyout.
After its four-run inning, the Lady Vols couldn’t build on their momentum. Rutan walked, but the next three batters were retired to keep the 4-1 lead heading into the final inning.
Mardjetko rounded out her night with two more strikeouts in the seventh inning, ending her outing with 10 strikeouts, two walks and one hit allowed in 25 batters faced.
“It means everything,” Mardjetko said about having an offense to back her up. “Never having to worry about playing perfect or letting up a run, you can definitely just play a lot freer, and the freer you can play, the better you can be.”
The Lady Vols have a quick turnaround, hosting Penn State again at 3 p.m. for a rematch Saturday. They’ll also host North Carolina Central following that game at 5:30 p.m.
“I think they were just a little bit over-excited,” Weekley said. “It took us a while to settle down and get focused on what we needed to focus on. Just too many missed opportunities, pitches we should have attacked. I think the second game was a little bit of the same thing early for a different reason. I think we finally relaxed and I could just feel this lack of urgency.”
