Stephanie Humphrey Shuts Down Illinois at Triangle Classic, 4-0

Friday, February 16

Raleigh, N.C.

University of Tennessee

3-7

Illinois

6-1

Tennessee

Illinois

Stephanie Humphrey Shuts Down Illinois at Triangle Classic, 4-0

February 16, 2001 | Softball

Box Score

2/16/2001

Sophomore Third Baseman Carissa Roustan Smacks First Career HR in UT Win

Box Score

Behind a season-high 10-hit attack and the outstanding pitching of sophomore Stephanie Humphrey, the Lady Vol softball team opened the Triangle Classic on Friday afternoon with a 4-0 blanking of Illinois in Raleigh, N.C. With its second consecutive win, Jim Beitia's club moves to 3-7 overall and snaps Illinois' (6-1) winning streak at six games. The shutout was UT's first of the campaign and was the second of Humphrey's career.

The Knoxville native scattered four singles in registering her first scoreless effort since hurling a 3-0 gem against Coastal Carolina on Feb. 26, 2000. In improving to 2-3, the Lady Vol right-hander fanned five batters and did not surrender a hit until the fourth stanza.

Tennessee snapped a 0-0 tie with a single run in the top of the third. Senior shortstop Annie Fletcher laced a leadoff base-hit into right center field and then freshman Ellisha Humphrey's attempted sacrifice was bobbled by the UI third baseman, giving UT two runners on board. Senior second baseman Melissa Radley bunted to advance her teammates and classmate Janette Koshell would slap a one-out single up the middle to drive in Fletcher.

The Lady Vols tacked on another run in the fourth when junior Hannah Low raced home on Fletcher's suicide squeeze with two down. Low began the frame by punching a single into left and was moved into scoring position on senior Maura Mollet's sacrifice bunt. After a ground out by junior Maria Torres, Fletcher tapped Illinois pitcher Kathryn Nevard's first offering just in front of the dish as Low came sprinting toward home. Although UT scored on the play to make the count 2-0, Fletcher was thrown out attempting to advance to second.

The Fighting Illini mounted a serious threat in the bottom of the frame, as Lindsey Hamma and Janna Sartini notched consecutive hits off Humphrey. A sacrifice by Alicia Hammel then had the Big Ten squad in position to potentially tie the game, as the runners were perched on second and third with only one out. Humphrey buckled down to catch Karyn Bird looking on strikes and then the righty set down Kristie Sauer on an infield grounder to escape trouble.

The Big Orange lead ballooned to 4-0 in the fifth on sophomore Carissa Roustan's first-ever homer, a two-run shot over the left field fence that plated Radley. The UT second baseman had singled prior to Roustan's blast. Both Fletcher and Koshell were 2-for-4 in the victory, as eight Lady Vols contributed at least one hit. Beitia's troops resume action at 2 p.m. today against Rhode Island (0-0).