Lady Vol Softball Team Falls to Alabama, 7-1

Saturday, March 24

Knoxville, Tenn.

University of Tennessee

13-19, 3-6

Alabama

27-0, 7-0

#4 Alabama

Tennessee

March 24, 2001 | Softball

Box Score

3/24/2001 UT vs. Alabama: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3

Tide Knocks Three Home Runs To Take Game One

Box Score

The University of Tennessee softball team dropped the first game of a doubleheader to the University of Alabama, 7-1, on Saturday at Knoxville’s Tyson Park. Alabama tagged three home runs off the Lady Vols in the win, which moves the Tide to 27-0 on the season and 7-0 in Southeastern Conference play. Tennessee moves to 13-19 on the season and 3-6 in the SEC.

The Crimson Tide opened the first inning and tagged the Lady Vols for one run in the opening frame. With one out, senior outfielder Kelly Kretschman tagged a 3-2 pitch to left center field for her eighth home run of the season. Tennessee sophomore pitcher Stephanie Humphrey sat the next two UA batters down, but Alabama took the 1-0 advantage.

In the bottom of the inning, senior center fielder Janette Koshell walked for UT’s first baserunner of the day. Senior second baseman Melissa Radley hit into a fielder’s choice and replaced Koshell on first. Radley moved to second on a passed ball, but the inning ended with a Lady Vol strikeout.

Tennessee bounced back in the bottom of the third and knotted the game at 1-1 when junior first baseman Hannah Low led off the inning with a shot to left field for her fourth home run of the season. UT earned another baserunner later in the inning when Koshell smacked a single to left field, but she was stranded on first when the Lady Vols ended the inning with a ground out.

Alabama struck back in the top of the fourth when Ginger Jones led off with a double and scored when Lindsay Testa knocked a single to right field. With a 2-1 lead, Alabama was not done when with two outs, Melissa Bautista hit a single to right field. Shortstop Jennifer Reach hit a single to the same spot in right, but Bautista was tagged out at third to end the inning.

Tennessee went down in order in the bottom of the fourth, but Alabama continued its offensive onslaught as the Tide added a pair of runs as homers by Kretschman and Jackie McClain increased the lead to 5-1. After a strikeout, UA scored again when Testa nailed a triple to right center and came home on an error by the Lady Vol shortstop. The inning ended with a strikeout, but the damage was done and Alabama held a 6-1 advantage.

In the fifth inning, the Lady Vols went down in order, but Humphrey forced the Crimson Tide to do the same and tallied two strikeouts. The sixth saw much of the same for both teams as neither squad surrendered a hit or earned a baserunner. In the final inning, Suzanne Olcott led off with a double to center field. She moved to third when Kretschman smacked her third hit of the day to center. Olcott came home off a sacrifice fly from McClain to give Alabama a 7-1 advantage. The next three UA batters went down in order to end the inning. The Lady Vols ended the contest with three straight outs in the bottom of the seventh.

Janette Koshell For the game, UT’s Koshell was one-for-three while Low was one-for-two with one RBI and one run. In the circle, Humphrey dropped to 7-6 on the season as she pitched the complete game and surrendered 10 hits with seven runs, six of which were earned. Humphrey did strike out eight in the loss. Shelley Laird picked up the win for UA as she allowed just one earned run off two hits with eight strikeouts.