March 15, 2015
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 9/15 Tennessee (19-5, 1-2 SEC) bounced back to take a 9-1 (5) win on Sunday afternoon over South Carolina (20-9, 2-4 SEC) at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
Tennessee scored nine runs in the first two innings, seven coming with two outs. After Gretchen Aucoin put the Lady Vols up 2-0 with a homer in the first, Lexi Overstreet brought home two more with a two-out single. In the second, Megan Geer’s two-out double brought home the first run, and Annie Aldrete had a two-run double after UT loaded the bases. Rainey Gaffin followed with a two-run triple to make it a 9-1 Lady Vols in the middle of the second.
South Carolina posted a run in the bottom of the first on sophomore first baseman Kaylea Snaer’s RBI single, scoring junior third baseman Jordan Bizzell after her one-out double.
Erin Gabriel (9-2) picked up the win, tossing four-plus innings, giving up one earned run on four hits and one walk. She struck out four. Gamecock freshman Hayley Copeland (0-1) took the loss in her first collegiate start, allowing four earned runs on two hits and two walks in an inning.
Game Changer:
Aucoin’s two-run homer in the first put Tennessee ahead for good.
Key Stat:
The first eight Tennessee hitters all either had at least one hit or one walk, with the top five scoring eight of the nine runs.
Notables:
• Aucoin, Taylor Koenig and Aldrete all scored twice, with Aucoin, Aldrete, Gaffin and Overstreet all driving in two runs each.
• Aldrete and Geer had doubles, Gaffin a triple and Aucoin a homer, her third of the weekend.
• Gamecock junior left fielder Alaynie Page walked and stole a base in the loss.
• Bizzell’s double ranked as the only Gamecock extra-base hit.
• Gamecock sophomore Nickie Blue tossed the final 3.1 innings, striking out five and walking one while giving up two hits in a shutout relief appearance.
Tweet of the Game:
Struett with an #SCTop10 worthy catch against the CF wall, keeps UT off the board in the 4th. Lady Vols lead 9-1 over the #Gamecocks B4.
— Gamecock Softball (@GamecockSoftbll) March 15, 2015
Up Next:
South Carolina spends next week on the road, facing Winthrop on Wednesday at 6 PM at Terry Field before spending the weekend at Texas A&M, with games at 7:30, 6:30 and 1 PM EDT in College Station, Texas.
