CLEARWATER, Fla. – The No. 6 Lady Vols dropped their first game of the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational on Saturday to No. 25 James Madison, 6-2.
The Lady Vols struggled to string together hits, notching three during the contest. Junior third baseman Chelsea Seggern came up with Tennessee’s big hit of the game in the second inning, sending a two-run bomb over the right-field wall.
Caylan Arnold earned the start for UT but allowed two runs on three hits through 0.1 inning, bringing Matty Moss to the circle. The senior righty tossed 6.2 innings, allowing four runs on five hits while striking out nine batters. She was charged with the loss.
In the first, James Madison took an early 2-0 lead. The Dukes started the game with an inside-the-park home run and added another score with their second long ball two at-bats later.
UT answered in the bottom of the frame with two runs of their own, tying the game at 2-2. With two outs, Amanda Ayala worked the count for a walk bringing Seggern to the plate. The Thrall, Texas, native then blasted one just fair beyond the wall for her first home run of the season.
Tennessee put runners in scoring position during the third, fifth and sixth innings but couldn’t scratch another run across.
JMU took back the lead in the second as Kate Gordon hit her second of three homers with two outs to make it a 4-2 game.
The Dukes knocked two more solo shots in the fifth and sixth innings for the eventual 6-2 final.
NOTES:
RBI LEADER: Chelsea Seggern’s two-run homer in the first inning gave her a team-leading 12 RBIs on the season. Freshman Ally Shipman is second on the squad with 10.
NEXT UP: Tennessee plays Utah at 7:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 16, on Field #1 at the Eddie C. Moore Complex. The game will be streamed via a live radio broadcast on UTSports.com.
-UT Athletics
