University of Tennessee Athletics
Thursday, February 17
Clearwater, Fla.
10:00 AM
University of Tennessee
5-0
11
vs
3
Notre Dame
5-1
1
2
3
4
5
6
R
H
E
Notre Dame
2
1
0
0
0
0
3
3
2
Tennessee
5
2
0
0
0
4
11
14
0
#15 Lady Vols Split Two At St. Pete/Clearwater Invite
February 17, 2022 | Softball
CLEARWATER, Fla. – The No. 15/18 Tennessee softball team went 1-1 on the first day of the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational, taking an 11-3 run-rule victory over Notre Dame in the first game of the tournament before falling 9-3 to No. 6/5 Florida State in a Thursday evening ranked matchup at the Eddie C. Moore Complex.
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GAME 1 - No. 15/18 Tennessee 11, Notre Dame 3
The Lady Vol bats came out hot as Tennessee piled up 11 runs on 14 hits in six innings to claim an eight-run triumph over the Fighting Irish Thursday afternoon.
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Super senior outfielder Amanda Ayala and graduate catcher Kelcy Leach paced the Tennessee offense with three hits apiece. Leach hit 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs, while Ayala went 3-for-5 with a triple and walked the game off with a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth to enforce the run rule.
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Graduate pitcher Erin Edmoundson (3-0) entered the circle in the top of the third and earned the win in relief, tossing four hitless, scoreless innings to hold the Notre Dame lineup in check while UT's offense rung up the scoreboard. The Deer Park, Texas, native tallied three strikeouts and lowered her season ERA to 0.46.
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The Irish jumped out to a 2-0 lead with back-to-back extra-base hits in the top of the first. Left fielder Leea Hanks doubled to left center before designated player Karina Gaskins homered to right center to gain the early advantage.
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The Lady Vols did not flinch, however, putting five runs on the board in the bottom half of the first to shift the momentum of the game. Batting leadoff, junior outfielder Kiki Milloy rocketed the first pitch she saw for an opposite field solo shot to right that provided the initial spark. Ayala followed with a triple into the right field corner and came home on classmate Ashley Morgan's RBI single through the right side.
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With two outs in the first, Leach knocked a single to left that brought Morgan in from second and gave the Lady Vols a lead they would not relinquish. Two batters later, senior outfielder Kaitlin Parsons pushed a single through the middle that brought home two more for Tennessee and put UT ahead 5-2 through one inning.
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Notre Dame added its third run in the top of the second with a station-to-station RBI single from right fielder Emma Clark. Second baseman Quinn Biggio scored on the play to cut the deficit to 5-3 in favor of the Big Orange.
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In the bottom of the second, super senior Ivy Davis launched a towering shot down the left field line that stayed fair for a two-run homer. Freshman designated player McKenna Gibson came home courtesy Davis' moonshot after recording a two-out infield single to the Notre Dame shortstop.
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As Edmoundson tamed the Irish over the next four innings, Tennessee put the game on ice with four runs in the sixth. Leach sent a two-out RBI double down the left field line that scored pinch runner Anna Fox all the way from first before Beautae's single to left brought Leach home from second to make it a 9-3 advantage. With the bases loaded, Ayala stepped to the plate and delivered the game-winning hit with a bloop single to center that scored Parsons and Beautae.
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GAME 2 - No. 15/18 Tennessee 3, No. 6/5 Florida State 9
The Lady Vols suffered their first loss of the 2022 campaign Thursday evening, falling 9-3 against the 5th-ranked Seminoles of Florida State.
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Freshman 2B Lair Beautae stood out offensively for the Big Orange, connecting on her first career triple, scoring a run and driving one in on a sac fly. Ayala also notched an RBI single to highlight the Tennessee lineup.
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FSU's Danielle Watson picked up her third win of the season, spinning six complete innings with three earned runs and four strikeouts. Lady Vol sophomore Bailey McCachren was dealt the loss, totaling 4.1 innings pitched with four runs (two earned) and a pair strikeouts.
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The Seminoles scored seven unanswered through the first four frames before Tennessee broke through with two runs in the top of the fifth. Beautae belted a leadoff triple to left center and advanced home on a fielding error by the Florida State first baseman, and Ayala drove in Kaitlin Parsons from third for UT's second run of the game.
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After redshirt senior Samantha Bender made her season debut and threw a scoreless frame to end the fifth, the Lady Vols pulled within four runs on Beautae's sac fly to left. Ivy Davis scored on the play after leading off the inning with a single and moving to third on a pair of wild pitches.
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The Seminoles loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth and tacked on two more runs to cement the night's final score.
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UP NEXT: The Lady Vols return to the Eddie C. Moore Complex for two more ranked matchups on Friday. Tennessee will take on No. 5/6 Washington at 12:30 p.m. on SEC Network before playing No. 12/15 Clemson in the nightcap at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
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For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee softball, follow @Vol_Softball on Twitter and Instagram.
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GAME 1 - No. 15/18 Tennessee 11, Notre Dame 3
The Lady Vol bats came out hot as Tennessee piled up 11 runs on 14 hits in six innings to claim an eight-run triumph over the Fighting Irish Thursday afternoon.
Â
Super senior outfielder Amanda Ayala and graduate catcher Kelcy Leach paced the Tennessee offense with three hits apiece. Leach hit 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs, while Ayala went 3-for-5 with a triple and walked the game off with a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth to enforce the run rule.
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Graduate pitcher Erin Edmoundson (3-0) entered the circle in the top of the third and earned the win in relief, tossing four hitless, scoreless innings to hold the Notre Dame lineup in check while UT's offense rung up the scoreboard. The Deer Park, Texas, native tallied three strikeouts and lowered her season ERA to 0.46.
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The Irish jumped out to a 2-0 lead with back-to-back extra-base hits in the top of the first. Left fielder Leea Hanks doubled to left center before designated player Karina Gaskins homered to right center to gain the early advantage.
Â
The Lady Vols did not flinch, however, putting five runs on the board in the bottom half of the first to shift the momentum of the game. Batting leadoff, junior outfielder Kiki Milloy rocketed the first pitch she saw for an opposite field solo shot to right that provided the initial spark. Ayala followed with a triple into the right field corner and came home on classmate Ashley Morgan's RBI single through the right side.
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With two outs in the first, Leach knocked a single to left that brought Morgan in from second and gave the Lady Vols a lead they would not relinquish. Two batters later, senior outfielder Kaitlin Parsons pushed a single through the middle that brought home two more for Tennessee and put UT ahead 5-2 through one inning.
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Notre Dame added its third run in the top of the second with a station-to-station RBI single from right fielder Emma Clark. Second baseman Quinn Biggio scored on the play to cut the deficit to 5-3 in favor of the Big Orange.
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In the bottom of the second, super senior Ivy Davis launched a towering shot down the left field line that stayed fair for a two-run homer. Freshman designated player McKenna Gibson came home courtesy Davis' moonshot after recording a two-out infield single to the Notre Dame shortstop.
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As Edmoundson tamed the Irish over the next four innings, Tennessee put the game on ice with four runs in the sixth. Leach sent a two-out RBI double down the left field line that scored pinch runner Anna Fox all the way from first before Beautae's single to left brought Leach home from second to make it a 9-3 advantage. With the bases loaded, Ayala stepped to the plate and delivered the game-winning hit with a bloop single to center that scored Parsons and Beautae.
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GAME 2 - No. 15/18 Tennessee 3, No. 6/5 Florida State 9
The Lady Vols suffered their first loss of the 2022 campaign Thursday evening, falling 9-3 against the 5th-ranked Seminoles of Florida State.
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Freshman 2B Lair Beautae stood out offensively for the Big Orange, connecting on her first career triple, scoring a run and driving one in on a sac fly. Ayala also notched an RBI single to highlight the Tennessee lineup.
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FSU's Danielle Watson picked up her third win of the season, spinning six complete innings with three earned runs and four strikeouts. Lady Vol sophomore Bailey McCachren was dealt the loss, totaling 4.1 innings pitched with four runs (two earned) and a pair strikeouts.
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The Seminoles scored seven unanswered through the first four frames before Tennessee broke through with two runs in the top of the fifth. Beautae belted a leadoff triple to left center and advanced home on a fielding error by the Florida State first baseman, and Ayala drove in Kaitlin Parsons from third for UT's second run of the game.
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After redshirt senior Samantha Bender made her season debut and threw a scoreless frame to end the fifth, the Lady Vols pulled within four runs on Beautae's sac fly to left. Ivy Davis scored on the play after leading off the inning with a single and moving to third on a pair of wild pitches.
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The Seminoles loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth and tacked on two more runs to cement the night's final score.
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UP NEXT: The Lady Vols return to the Eddie C. Moore Complex for two more ranked matchups on Friday. Tennessee will take on No. 5/6 Washington at 12:30 p.m. on SEC Network before playing No. 12/15 Clemson in the nightcap at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
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For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee softball, follow @Vol_Softball on Twitter and Instagram.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Edmoundson, Erin (3-0)
L: Alexis Holloway (2-1)
Batting:
2B: Leea Hanks 1
HR: Karina Gaskins 1
RBI: Emma Clark 1 ; Karina Gaskins 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Leea Hanks 1 ; Karina Gaskins 1 ; Quinn Biggio 1
SB: Emma Clark 1 ; Shelby Grimm 1
HBP: Abby Sweet 2 ; Quinn Biggio 2
Batting:
2B: Leach, Kelcy 2
3B: Ayala, Amanda 1
HR: Milloy, Kiki 1 ; Davis, Ivy 1
RBI: Milloy, Kiki 1 ; Ayala, Amanda 2 ; Morgan, Ashley 1 ; Davis, Ivy 2 ; Leach, Kelcy 2 ; Beautae, Lair 1 ; Parsons, Kaitlin 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Milloy, Kiki 1 ; Ayala, Amanda 1 ; Morgan, Ashley 1 ; Gibson, McKenna 1 ; Fox, Anna 1 ; Davis, Ivy 2 ; Leach, Kelcy 2 ; Beautae, Lair 1 ; Parsons, Kaitlin 1
SB: Parsons, Kaitlin 1
CS: Ayala, Amanda 1
HBP: Leach, Kelcy 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
AB
3
R
2
H
3
RBI
2
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball1B
/ Softball
OF
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