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Tennessee softball wins both games of doubleheader vs. Mizzou to open SEC play: Takeaways

By Caleb Calhoun

Smokey X smiles before taking the field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021.Kns Tennessee Florida Football
Smokey X smiles before taking the field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021.Kns Tennessee Florida Football /
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As if enough teams from Rocky Top couldn’t make a splash on Sunday, Tennessee softball got in on the action. The Lady Vols won both games of a doubleheader on the road against the Missouri Tigers, who are ranked in the range of No. 21 to No. 8 depending on the service, to begin their SEC season for 2022.

This was supposed to be a three-game series. However, weather canceled the Friday and Saturday games. As a result, a doubleheader was set for Sunday. Karen Weekly’s team, ranked anywhere from ranked No. 18 to No. 14 depending on the service, won the first game 14-3 in six innings and won the second game 5-4, holding on after a 5-0 start.

UT is 18-6 and 2-0 in league play with a mid-state matchup Tuesday against the Memphis Tigers before hosting the Arkansas Razorbacks next weekend. Mizzou is 16-6 and 0-2 in the SEC with a midweek doubleheader against the Illinois Fighting Illini set for Wednesday before they host the Mizzou Classic next weekend. Here are three things we learned from Tennessee softball’s sweep.

1. Home runs carried the offense.

You can’t say much more about the offense. Okay, so they had an all-around onslaught in the first game. However, six of their 14 runs came off just two homers, one from Kiki Milloy and the other from Zaida Puni. Four of their five runs came off homers in the second game. Puni hit one again, as did Madison Webber and Ivy Davis.

A double by Ashley Morgan and another by Lair Beautae drove in three more in the first game. Morgan actually had two doubles in that game. With two more runs off errors, power and defensive mistakes are how the offense pulled this off.

2. Erin Edmoundson dominated on the mound.

What else can you say about her? In the first game, Erin Edmoundson started all six innings. Three runs were allowed with her on the mound, but she only allowed one earned run. However, what stood out was what she did in Tennessee softball’s second game.

After a 5-0 start, Bailey McCachren allowed three runs in the fourth inning. Nicola Simpson came in, and another run was allowed in the firth. Edmoundson came back in with the score 5-4, and she pitched three scoreless innings to close the deal. so she allowed one earned run in nine innings and picked up a win and a save over the weekend.

3. More runs could have been scored.

While power helped the Lady Vols win both games, their lack of ability to cash in with runners on base proved costly at times. Over the combined two games, they left 11 runners on base, including seven in the first game.

Now, Mizzou did leave 12 runners on base, so this was a problem on both sides. Both teams had two errors over the weekend as well. These are the minor negatives you could draw from Tennessee softball, but by and large, this was an epic Sunday.

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