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Tennessee softball loses two of three to Arkansas: Takeaways

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee’s Amanda Ayala (13) runs towards a hit to left field in the game against Mississippi State at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium on Sunday, April 14, 2019.Kns UtsoftballTennesseeaTMs Amanda Ayala (13) runs towards a hit to left field in the game against Mississippi State at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium on Sunday, April 14, 2019.
Tennessee’s Amanda Ayala (13) runs towards a hit to left field in the game against Mississippi State at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium on Sunday, April 14, 2019.Kns UtsoftballTennesseeaTMs Amanda Ayala (13) runs towards a hit to left field in the game against Mississippi State at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium on Sunday, April 14, 2019. /
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A week after scoring a huge doubleheader sweep against a top 25 team on the road to open SEC play, Tennessee softball wasn’t able to maintain that momentum at home this past weekend. The Lady Vols lost two of three to the Arkansas Razorbacks in their SEC home-opening series.

Karen Weekly’s team, ranked anywhere from No. 17 to No. 11, lost the first game on Friday 4-3 after allowing a three-run homer in the sixth. They then lost 9-6 on Saturday. On Sunday, they avoided a sweep against the Hogs, ranked anywhere from No. 8 to No. 11, with a 6-2 win.

UT is now 20-8 overall and 3-2 in the SEC with a trip to the Florida Gators for a three-game series up next in a week. Arkansas is 19-5 and 2-1 in the SEC with a trip to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers set for Monday before hosting the LSU Tigers this weekend. Here are three things we learned from Tennessee softball’s series loss.

1. Starters had a rough weekend for the Lady Vols.

Perhaps she was just left in for too long, but Erin Edmoundson wasn’t herself in this series. She was pitching well through the first five innings of the first game before it all went south. Up 3-1, she allowed the three-run homer in the sixth, costing them the game. Then she came in during the seventh of the next game and allowed a grand slam.

Those mistakes proved costly, but she didn’t struggle alone. Bailey McCachren got the nod Saturday and gave up four runs in the first two innings, securing the loss in the process. Ashley Rogers is desperately needed back right now, but Edmoundson was just out of character here.

2. Both defenses were abysmal.

The only thing saving Tennessee softball here was Arkansas playing worse defensively. Both teams struggled on this front. UT had four errors over the weekend, and Arkansas had three. The Lady Vols’ fielding percentage was .958, and Arkansas’s was .939.

On Sunday, a grand slam was the difference for the Lady Vols, but three of the runs on that grand slam were unearned. An unearned run by Arkansas on Friday sparked their comeback and was the difference in that game. This has been an ongoing issue for Rocky Top for a while, so it has to improve going forward.

3. Home runs drove the weekend.

In addition to errors, both teams relied on power to win. Arkansas scored 10 of its 15 runs off homers this weekend. The Lady Vols, meanwhile, scored nine of their 15 runs off homers. In all three games, a homer was the difference, and a grand slam was the difference in two of them.

Arkansas won Friday night off a three-run homer by Kacie Hoffman. They won Friday off two homers by Danielle Gibson, one a grand slam. Gibson also had a solo shot Sunday. For Tennessee softball, Lair Beautae, Amanda Ayala, Ashley Morgan and Zaida Puni all went long. Puni had a grand slam Sunday and drove in all six of the team’s runs in their win.

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