BEAUMONT, Texas – The sixth-ranked Lady Vols capped a perfect weekend with a 5-0 victory over Nicholls on Sunday at the LU Softball Complex in Beaumont, Texas. Tennessee (10-1) went undefeated, posting a 5-0 record with two wins over McNeese, followed by victories over Lamar, Tulsa, and Nicholls. The victory over Nicholls marked the Lady Vols’ 10th consecutive win.
Sophomore Sage Mardjetko starred on Sunday, delivering a one-hit complete-game shutout. The right-hander recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts to earn her fourth win of the season. Mardjetko allowed just one walk and carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning.
The Lemont, Illinois, native was dominant throughout the weekend, collecting two wins and allowing only two hits in 12 innings of work. She held opponents to a .054 batting average, striking out 17 and issuing three walks.
Tennessee spread the scoring across multiple innings against Nicholls, pushing runs across in the first and third frames before tacking on two more in the sixth. The Lady Vols added an insurance run in the seventh.
Taylor Pannell extended her hitting streak to eight games with an RBI single in the first. In the third, Laura Mealer delivered a sacrifice fly to bring in Tennessee’s second run.
With runners on first and third in the sixth, UT executed a double steal, allowing Bella Faw to score. Pannell later drove in her 22nd RBI of the season with her second RBI single of the game.
A leadoff triple by Katie Taylor in the seventh set the stage for Sophia Nugent’s run-scoring single, padding the Lady Vols’ lead.
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Pannell was a force all weekend, slashing .647/1.294/.714 with seven runs, two doubles, three home runs, 13 RBIs, and three stolen bases. In Tennessee’s first 11 games, Pannell is hitting .500 with an OPS of 1.624. The redshirt sophomore has scored 11 runs, hit five home runs, and driven in 22 RBIs.
EASY PICKENS
Karlyn Pickens was dominant throughout the weekend, collecting two wins, including one complete game. In 11 innings, the junior allowed no runs, giving up just six hits, walking one, and striking out 20 batters. Opponents hit just .150 against her.
DUE UP
Tennessee will head to California for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, Feb. 20-22. The Lady Vols will face Oregon State, No. 21 Oregon, Rutgers, No. 4 UCLA, and Minnesota.
