University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
10-0
#23 Notre Dame
5-5
Perfect 10-0! #10 Softball Tops #23 ND, 8-4
February 19, 2015 | Softball
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. -- No. 10 Tennessee continued its hot start on Thursday afternoon with a 8-4 victory over No. 23 Notre Dame in the team's opener at the Mary Nutter Classic at Big League Dreams Park. The Lady Vols moved to a perfect 10-0.
The win marked UT's first game and victory over a ranked opponent this season.
Sophomores Megan Geer and Taylor Koenig each had home runs to lead the Tennessee offense. Koenig drove in four runs as she went 2-for-4. Shaliyah Geathers finished 2-for-3 with a triple, two runs and one RBI.
Rainey Gaffin came on in relief to claim the victory with 5.1 innings, allowing three runs and striking out five.
Rachel Nasland (1-2) took the loss for Notre Dame after allowing four runs over five frames. Sara White and Katie Beriont gave up four more over the remaining two innings.
The Fighting Irish (5-5) struck first on a Micaela Arizmendi RBI single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first inning. Tennessee starting pitcher Gretchen Aucoin rallied to get out of the jam with a pop up to second base to start a double play and a lineout to short to retire the side.
Geer tied the game in the top on the fourth inning with a line-drive home run with one out.
Tennessee took the lead an inning later on back-to-back hits, a leadoff single from Gaffin and an RBI triple from Geathers. Koenig's fifth homer of the 2015 season, a two-run shot to left field, pushed the advantage to 4-1.
UT extended its lead to 8-1 in the sixth with four runs. Lexi Overstreet scored on a bases-loaded walk by Annie Aldrete. Tennessee added two more runs on a Koenig single that drove in Hannah Devotie and Geathers.
Notre Dame scored twice in the bottom of the seventh.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Gaffin, Rainey (2-0)
L: Rachel Nasland (1-2)
Batting:
3B: Geathers, Shaliyah 1 ; Overstreet, Lexi 1
HR: Koenig, Taylor 1 ; Geer, Megan 1
RBI: Geathers, Shaliyah 1 ; Aldrete, Annie 1 ; Koenig, Taylor 4 ; Geer, Megan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gaffin, Rainey 1 ; Geathers, Shaliyah 2 ; Devotie, Hannah 1 ; Koenig, Taylor 1 ; Geer, Megan 1 ; Adell, Jessica 1 ; Overstreet, Lexi 1
SB: Geer, Megan 1 ; Lewis, Tory 1
HBP: Gaffin, Rainey 1 ; Geer, Megan 1
Batting:
2B: Cassidy Whidden 1
RBI: Micaela Arizmendi 2 ; Cassidy Whidden 1 ; Casey Africano 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Karley Wester 2 ; Emilee Koerner 1 ; Cassidy Whidden 1
SB: Karley Wester 1
HBP: Cassidy Whidden 1
