by Jack Glennon
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On Saturday, the Tennessee Lady Vols Softball team bounced back from a 12-4 loss in the first half of a doubleheader against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Lady Vols won game 2 by a score of 8-0, putting the mercy rule into effect in the 5th inning. This marked the second mercy rule in the 3-game weekend series.
Tennessee was powered by another dominant outing from star pitcher Karlyn Pickens. Pickens pitched all 5 innings, giving up no runs. She yielded just one hit, walked one, and got four strikeouts.
Pickens’ efforts did not go to waste, as her teammates in the Tennessee lineup scored 8 runs, helping Pickens nab her 15th pitching win of the season.
For Mississippi State, Raelin Chaffin collected her 6th pitching loss on the season, and her 2nd in 24 hours.
The Lady Vols’ offensive outburst began in the second inning, when Kinsey Fiedler lined a single to center field, plating Gabby Leach.
Taylor Pannell then blasted a 3-run home run over the left field wall, bringing 2 teammates across home plate with her. In doing so, Pannell gave the Lady Vols a 4-0 lead.
Pannell added another hit, ending the night 2-3.
McKenna Gibson then hit a home run of her own, and the Lady Vols had turned the 2nd inning into a 5-run frame.
2 more runs came across the following inning, as Gabby Leach dropped down a drag bunt for a base hit. Laura Mealer scored. A throwing error from Mississippi State then allowed Ella Dodge to score.
The Lady Vols did not score again until the bottom of the 5th inning, when Gabby Leach sent a drive over the right center field wall, ending the double header with an 8-0 win in 5 innings.
Gabby Leach finished the night 2-2, with a home run and 2 RBI. She was also hit by a pitch.
This loss dropped the Mississippi State Bulldogs to 31-10 (7-5 SEC) on the season, while the Lady Vols improved to 32-8 (7-5 SEC).
The Bulldogs will now travel home, with 6 days before their next game, as they will play host to the Missouri Tigers for a 3-game series commencing on Friday.
The Tennessee Lady Vols will travel to Austin for a 3-game series against the Texas Longhorns, which will also begin Friday.
The Lady Vols will next return to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium on April 17th, when they begin a 3-game series with the Auburn Tigers.