BEAUMONT, Texas – No. 6 Tennessee earned two more run-rule victories Saturday at the LU Softball Complex in Beaumont, Texas, defeating Lamar 13-0 in five innings and Tulsa 8-0 in six.
Alannah Leach and Karlyn Pickens led the charge for the Lady Vols, each setting career highs. Leach drove in four RBIs against Lamar, while Pickens recorded 15 strikeouts in Tennessee’s win over Tulsa.
Taylor Pannell continued her hot streak, hitting her fifth home run of the season against Tulsa and finishing with four RBIs on the day. Through 10 games, she has driven in 20 runs and posted six multi-RBI performances.
GAME ONE: #6 TENNESSEE 13, LAMAR 0
Leach delivered an outstanding performance at the plate, going 2-for-3 with four RBIs as Tennessee run-ruled Lamar in five innings. The sophomore from The Woodlands, Texas, contributed a pair of two-RBI singles in the first and fifth innings.
Leading 5-0 heading into the fifth, the Lady Vols exploded for eight runs in the frame. They did all the damage without hitting a home run, relying on a pair of doubles, two singles, five walks, and two hit-by-pitches to pile on the runs.
Freshman Peyton Tanner made her first career start in her home state, tossing four shutout innings. The Lake Jackson native allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out four to earn her second win of the season.
Junior Charli Orsini pitched one inning in relief, surrendering two hits and striking out one.
GAME TWO: #6 TENNESSEE 8, TULSA 0
Pannell got the Lady Vols off to a fast start with a three-run home run to deep left-center field in the first inning. Tennessee added two more runs in the third, with Ella Dodge lacing an RBI double and scoring on a Laura Mealer single up the middle.
Destiny Rodriguez, a native of Live Oak, Texas, knocked an RBI single in the fifth to extend the lead to 6-0. In the sixth, Tennessee sealed the run-rule victory with two runs on an error and a groundout.
Pickens threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just two hits and one walk. Her 15 strikeouts set a career high, surpassing her previous mark of 14 set on Feb. 24, 2024, against UCF. The junior earned her third win of the season.
DUE UP
Tennessee concludes its Texas and Louisiana trip Sunday with a matchup against Nicholls. First pitch is set for 11:30 a.m. ET.
