KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A set of explosive sixth innings and some late inning heroics in the circle from junior gunslinger Ashley Rogers pushed the No. 21 Tennessee softball team past Furman twice on Monday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
Tennessee (25-5) combined for 14 runs in the afternoon’s collective sixth innings to send Furman (6-14) home with two losses.
Seven Lady Vols tallied multiple hits across the two games, with Chelsea Seggern finishing the day as the most consistent member of the Orange & White, going 4-for-7 at the dish, with two doubles and two runs scored.
Game One Tennessee 11 Furman 4
Tennessee was slow out of the gates, but used a punishing late offensive effort and some good late efforts in the circle to power past Furman in game one.
Graduate student Cailin Hannon and junior Ally Shipman led the way for UT at the dish, combining for seven RBI and five hits.
Shipman went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and a double to add some insurance to the Lady Vols late lead.
Monday’s game one win was also the first time the Orange & White didn’t have a single batter strike out.
Furman threw the opening punch with a Claire Ginder solo shot to center in the top half of the first inning, giving the Paladins a quick, 1-0 lead.
In the next inning, Furman tacked on two more to extend its lead to 3-0 on a pair of miscues at second base.
In the home half of the second, the Lady Vols got on the board on a sac fly from Shipman to center to cut the deficit to 3-1.
Two innings later, Furman went yard again in the fifth, this time off the bat of Emily Bartlett to put the Paladins back up by three runs.
Over the final two innings, the Lady Vols exploded for 10 runs to nearly end game one in run rule fashion.
The Orange & White’s comeback was highlighted by Hannon’s sixth inning grand slam with the scored even at 4-4 with no outs.
UT tacked on three more runs in the inning, before Ashley Rogers slammed the door to give UT its 24th win of 2021.
Game Two Tennessee 7 Furman 2
The afternoon’s second contest was a pitchers’ duel for the first four innings, with Furman grabbing a pair of runs to hold a two-run lead heading into the fifth inning.
In the fifth, senior Amanda Ayala ripped a double to left field to bring put UT on the board, while cutting the Paladins’ lead in half.
In the sixth inning the Lady Vols posted a six-piece to take a 7-2 lead into the nights final inning.
Senior Ivy Davis got things going with a massive two-out, two-run shot to left field with Milloy on second to give UT its first lead of the second contest.
West and Ayala followed with two RBI doubles to add four more runs to the UT total, before Rogers fort the second consecutive game shut Furman down to give Tennessee the doubleheader sweep.
UP NEXT
Tennessee returns to action on Tuesday afternoon for a single mid-week encounter with another ASUN foe, Liberty. First pitch from Sherri Parker Lee stadium is slated for 3 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.
-UT Athletics
