KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After a rain delay paused action for 43 minutes at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium 1.5 innings into play, No. RV/23/24 Tennessee’s offense came alive to shut out Central Michigan 9-0 in five innings.
Ally Shipman (1-for-3) found her swing in dramatic fashion blasting a two-out dinger to left center to get the early finish as the Lady Vols (10-1) erupted to record their fourth run-rule of the season.
Senior Amanda Ayala (2-for-4) backed up her solid outing from Thursday night with a pair of hits, reaching home plate once. Senior Chelsea Seggern (2-for-2) was perfect at the plate with a pair of hits and RBI, scoring twice herself. She also was pegged at the plate twice during the game. Senior Cailin Hannon went 2-for-2 with a season-high three RBI.
Ayala record her sixth multi-hit game of the season while Hannon collected her fifth and Seggern tabbed her fourth.
Defensively, Seggern also collected a season-high four put outs, including an impressive defensive showing in the bottom of the third where she dove in to catch a shallow pop out before turning a double play to conclude the half.
After going scoreless the first two innings, Hannon hit a 2-RBI, two out single to put the Lady Vols on the board 2-0. Seggern followed suit in the fourth inning with a base hit to the centerfield warning track to bring in Ayala and Kaitlin Parsons who was hit by a pitch earlier in the frame.
UT got a few easy trips back home to extend their lead to 6-0 by the end of the fourth as Hannon and Madison Webber (0-for-2) drew back-to-back walks with the bases loaded.
Moving to get the quick finish, Parsons put things in motion drawing a lead-off walk and stealing second before the first out in the fifth inning. The Long Beach, Calif., native advanced to the hot corner on a fly out from Ayala and then came home on a ground out from Ivy Davis (1-for-4). Down two, Seggern was pegged at the plate to put the walk-off run on base. Shipman, who looked for her first hit of the game, overcame the pressure with her third homer of the season to provide the final margin.
Sophomore Callie Turner and junior Samantha Bender pitched by committee. Turner, who got the start and the win, pitched 4.0 shutout innings giving up four hits and a walk. Bender closed out the final frame and gave up just one hit.
Up Next: The Lady Vols have a rematch against Central Michigan set for 9:30 a.m. ET tomorrow and a 12:30 p.m. ET matchup with Northern Kentucky to conclude the tournament.
Both contests will be broadcast on the SECN+, with Madison Shipman (Analysis) and Michael Wottreng (PxP) on the call.
Box Score (PDF) | Season Cumes (PDF)
-UT Athletics
