April 2, 2010
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 16/19 Tennessee (27-7, 8-3 SEC) captured a 9-1 win in five innings over South Carolina (10-24, 0-14 SEC) on Friday afternoon at Beckham Field.
Junior Laura Mendes went 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI for the Gamecocks. Lauren Gibson led Tennessee with a 2-for-3 outing, driving in three runs.
Tennessee posted two in the second thanks to RBI singles from Gibson and Raven Chavanne. The Lady Vols added three more in the third, with Tiffany Huff successfully executing the suicide squeeze, scoring Kelly Grieve, before Gibson doubled home two more with two down.
But South Carolina got a run back in its half of the third when Mendes doubled to right center, allowing freshman Hannah Milks to score from first.
The Big Orange added three more runs in the fourth, with Kat Dotson starting things with her bases-loaded sacrifice fly. Ashley Andrews and Chavanne executed the double steal from first and third, respectively, to make it 7-1. Huff got her second RBI with a single to score Andrews from second. UT put up its ninth run of the game in the fifth on Grieve’s single.
Ivy Renfroe (16-2) picked up the win, allowing one earned run on three hits and three walks while striking out four. Junior Ashley Chastain (4-9) got the loss, giving up seven runs, five earned, on eight hits and two walks.
South Carolina and Tennessee conclude the series with a Saturday doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. EDT for the special Strike Out Cancer day. A silent auction will be held during the day, while pink T-shirts are being given away for $5 donations, with all proceeds going towards cancer research.
