KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The seventh-ranked Lady Vols swept a doubleheader against UConn on Friday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, winning 9-1 in five innings in the opener before securing a 4-3 victory in 10 innings in game two.
Tennessee (24-4) dominated the first game with a 9-1 run-rule victory over the Huskies (13-10) and followed with a hard-fought 10-inning win to complete the sweep and win the series.
Karlyn Pickens (9-3) was the standout performer in the circle, earning both victories. She threw a complete game in the opener, allowing one run on four hits while striking out eight, before tossing six more innings in the nightcap, giving up two runs – one earned – on three hits with three strikeouts. Pickens finished the day with 11 strikeouts over 11 innings of work.
At the plate, Kinsey Fiedler and Laura Mealer were the catalysts for the Lady Vols. Fiedler went 6-for-7 with a double, three RBIs, and a run scored, while Mealer finished 4-for-7, driving in two runs, including a home run in game one.
Game 1: #7 Tennessee 9, UConn 1
Tennessee wasted no time in game one, scoring a run in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by senior Sophia Nugent that brought home Amanda Ahlin.
The Lady Vols exploded for four more runs in the third. Fiedler laced a single to score freshman Emma Clarke to give Tennessee a 2-1 lead. Taylor Pannell followed with a three-run homer, her 11th of the season, putting the Lady Vols up 4-1.
In the fourth inning, Laura Mealer blasted a solo shot, her fifth of the season, to extend the lead to 6-1. Fiedler later drove in two more runs with a single, giving Tennessee an 8-1 advantage.
The Lady Vols sealed the game in the fifth inning when Nugent singled to bring home freshman Zoie Shuler, triggering the run-rule win.
Game 2: #7 Tennessee 4, UConn 3 (10 innings)
Game two proved to be a much tighter contest, with Tennessee and UConn battling to a 3-3 tie through nine innings.
UConn took a 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the fourth before Tennessee answered in the bottom of the inning with a two-out RBI single from Nugent, driving in Pannell to tie the game at 1-1.
The Huskies regained the lead in the fifth on an RBI sacrifice fly, but Tennessee responded right back in the bottom of the inning with Gabby Leach launching a solo homer to left-center.
A tough defensive inning for the Lady Vols gave UConn its third one-run lead of the night in the seventh, but once again, UT bounced back and tied the game at 3-3 in the home half of the inning thanks to a sac fly from McKenna Gibson.
Pickens shut down UConn in the eighth, ninth, and tenth innings, holding the Huskies without a hit in the extra frames. In the bottom of the 10th, Mealer lined a walk-off single through the left side of the infield, scoring Ella Dodge from second for the game-winning run.
Sophomore Sage Mardjetko started in the circle for Tennessee, pitching four strong innings, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out six. Pickens finished the game, going six innings, giving up two runs and striking out three.
DUE UP
Tennessee and UConn will play the final game of their series on Sunday, March 16, with first pitch scheduled for noon ET on SECN+.
