A break from SEC play this past weekend went well for Tennessee softball. Karen Weekly’s team beat the East Carolina Pirates and UNC Greensboro Spartans on Saturday followed by a second win against ECU Sunday in the Lady Vol Challenge in Knoxville, Tenn., at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
Ashley Rogers pitched a perfect game Saturday as UT beat ECU 8-0 in five innings. A two-run homerun by UNC Greensboro in the first inning of the next game was the only time the Lady Vols trailed. Zaida Puni then hit a three-run shot in the bottom of the first as Rocky Top won 4-2. A six-run third inning secured a 9-1 win for Tennessee over ECU in six innings Sunday.
The Lady Vols improve to 33-13 and 11-6 in the SEC with visit to the Liberty Flames Wednesday and then a return to SEC series play at the Ole Miss Rebels next weekend. ECU falls to 19-29, and UNC Greensboro, which also played ECU twice, improves to 33-13 as well. Here are three things we learned from Tennessee softball’s sweep.
1. Starting pitching was back to being elite.
Obviously, the story of the weekend was Ashley Rogers in the first game Saturday. Rogers pitched the 13th perfect game in school history, striking out 12 of the 15 batters she faced that day. Remember, Rogers missed time due to injury this year, so such a performance was even more incredible for her. However, she wasn’t the only pitcher to pitch a complete game.
After allowing a two-run shot in the first, Erin Edmoundson pitched a shutout the rest of the way with 10 strikeouts in seven innings, and she was clutch, holding on for the 4-2 win. Sunday saw Bailey McCachren pitch an inning and allow no runs. Nicola Simpson allowed the only run that day, but she and Ryleigh White were solid. Edmoundson and Rogers were the stars, though.
2. Power and elite baserunning drove the offense.
We know about Tennessee softball’s ability to hit home runs, and that was clearly on display this weekend. They had five over the weekend, each by a different player. Puni’s three-run shot in the second game Saturday was the most crucial. Ivy Davis and Ashley Morgan each had two-run shots in the first game. McKenna Gibson and Rylie West each had two-run shots Sunday.
Beyond the homers, though, baserunning was superb. UT stole nine bases over the weekend and was never caught stealing. Kaitlin Parsons led with four, including three in the first game. Kiki Milloy had three, including two Sunday. Amanda Ayala and Katie Taylor each had one. Add in triples by West and Ayala, and this team was elite all weekend on the basepath.
3. Defense continues to turn into an advantage.
For being a concern early in the year, this has become a huge strength. Karen Weekly’s team did not commit any errors all weekend, making for a perfect fielding percentage. Now, they had tons of help in the first game Saturday, as only three balls were put into play given Rogers’ pitching.
However, that wasn’t the case against UNC Greensboro, and on Sunday, there were only two strikeouts. As a result, Tennessee softball’s defense had to step up, and it did. Meanwhile, ECU had two errors Saturday and three Sunday against them. UNC Greensboro had an error and allowed a key unearned run Saturday.