By Anna Reiffer
The same outcome, but on a different day for the Lady Vols as they take their second game against the Missouri Tigers by a final score of 4-2.
Winning is becoming routine for the Lady Vols as they find themselves on a four-game winning streak with one game left in the regular season.
A combined effort at the plate and in the circle, the Lady Vols are a strong contender for a double bye in the SEC Tournament next week.
“You know, today felt a whole lot like yesterday,” head coach Karen Weekly said in her postgame press conference. “What I really liked was how we strung some things together.”
Dodge and Butt deal the damage
The Tigers struck first in the bottom of the first, but Ella Dodge struck harder the rest of the night.
In the top of the third, Dodge picked the perfect pitch, launching a moonshot to right field that stayed just fair to tie the game at 1.
Dodge hit her second of the night in the next inning with a two-run single to left field, scoring Faw and Rutan.
“My at-bat can set the tone for the team,” Dodge said. “I just want to sit back and do whatever I can do for them.”
The top of the fifth brought a familiar situation, with Makenzie Butt snagging a pinch-hit RBI single to score Emma Clarke from second base.
“It’s the toughest thing to do in sports,” Weekly said. “Pinch hitting is really tough and it takes a special kind of person who has just the right kind of mindset.”
Mardjetko-Pickens magic
For the second night in a row, the circle in Mizzou Softball Stadium saw the likes of both Sage Mardjetko and Karlyn Pickens.
Despite a rocky 27-pitch first inning with an early earned run, Weekly maintained her confidence in Mardjetko.
“To limit the damage on that was huge,” Weekly said. “That just speaks to Sage and the competitor she is.”
In her five innings in the circle, Mardjetko struck out seven batters, allowed just five hits and threw 101 pitches.
“Our pitching staff is just the best in the nation,” second baseman Ella Dodge said. “I know whoever’s in there, they’re amazing.”
Despite seeing Erin Nuwer warming in the bullpen in early innings, Pickens ended up being the one to step in for Mardjetko in the sixth.
In true Pickens fashion, she dominated her opponents.
In a clean, three-up, three-down inning in the bottom of the sixth, Pickens struck out two of the three, with multiple pitches touching 78 mph.
Pickens’ only baserunner came in the bottom of the seventh, through no fault of her own, on a muffed throw to Emma Clarke at first.
The two innings she pitched yielded four strikeouts, bringing the Lady Vols’ total to 11 on the outing.
“It’s just a real reassuring spot for us as coaches, and certainly for our team, to know the kind of pitching we’re gonna get every time out,” Weekly said.
Up Next: The Lady Vols are back in the saddle tomorrow, aiming for a sweep to close out the regular season.
First pitch is slated for 1 p.m., and the game will stream on SEC Network+.