By Anna Reiffer
Things weren’t clicking for the No. 4 Lady Vols at the plate as they fell to the unranked Ole Miss Rebels 2-1 in a Friday night SEC clash.
Their midweek run-rule victory over Tennessee Tech on Tuesday offered a brief glimpse of offensive momentum, but it did not carry over into SEC competition.
Following a losing series in the swamp against Florida last weekend, the Lady Vols were simply unable to get it together in conference play.
This is the Lady Vols’ first home loss of the season, bringing them to 29-4 overall, and just 6-4 in conference play.
“I think tonight was just not making good decisions,” head coach Karen Weekly said.
Sage Mardjetko’s Adjusts to Adversity
Even though the loss comes as a disappointment, Weekly said Mardjetko isn’t the one to blame.
“I thought that Sage pitched fantastic,” Weekly said.
Mardjetko pitched the entire seven innings, allowing just one earned run and one walk, while striking out 12, with her earned run coming in the form of a lead-off home run to Ole Miss’ Kennedy Bunker.
Mardjetko’s command in the circle kept the Rebels off balance for most of the game, as she effectively mixed her pitches to limit hard contact beyond the early home run.
“I wasn’t phased by it,” Weekly said. “I just knew that was gonna fire Sage up.”
And Mardjetko was fired up, holding the Rebels scoreless through the next four innings until a wild pitch scored an unearned run to give the Rebels the lead.
Mardjetko’s nearly flawless outing provided her teammates with repeated chances to come back. However, when those chances presented themselves, the bats fell silent.
Offense stalls in a dreary night of conference play
Despite Mardjetko’s impressive outing, the offense failed to make a statement, tallying just three hits through seven innings.
Weekly noted that the lack of offensive performance left Mardjetko with very little margin for error, adding to the immense pressure already inherent in SEC games. In a conference known for being elite, that narrow margin often forces teams to execute nearly perfectly, something Tennessee could not achieve on Friday night.
The Lady Vols’ struggles at the plate Friday night are a continuation of their offensive presence in the swamp, where they totaled just 10 hits in their last two games, both losses.
While dismayed by the mistakes throughout the game, Weekly acknowledged her team’s youth.
“It’s a young group of people, but it’s a talented group of people,” Weekly said. “Youth will be experienced by the end of the season.”
Weekly’s additional comments portrayed frustration with both situational hitting and overall plate discipline, areas that will need improvement as the team continues deeper into SEC play.
The Lady Vols have 18 regular-season games left to play, the majority of which are intra-conference matchups, so it is likely that the best is yet to come for this young team.
The Lady Vols will be back in action in Sherri Parker Lee Stadium on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET against the Ole Miss Rebels.
The game will be available to stream on SEC Network.