CLEARWATER, Fla. – No. 6-ranked Tennessee downed the Utah Utes, 10-1, in the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational on Saturday night at the Eddie C. Moore Complex.
The Lady Vols were led by Amanda Ayala and Ashley Morgan who each notched three hits and three RBIs.
Freshman righty Ashley Rogers picked up her third win of the season while throwing five strikeouts. The Athens, Tenn., native allowed just one run on seven hits in the outing. Senior Matty Moss came in to pitch the final inning and struck out two of her three batters faced.
In the first inning, UT plated two runs on three hits to jump out to an early lead. Ayala started things off with a single to right before scoring on Chelsea Seggern’s double to left. Morgan then hit Seggern home with a knock to right field.
Tennessee extended its lead in the second by four runs as the Lady Vols scored on four hits and a sacrifice fly. Rogers and Jenna Holcomb strung together back-to-back hits before an Aubrey Leach walk loaded the bases. Ayala then singled to right, driving in two runs. She eventually came around to score on Morgan’s double to left.
Utah scored its lone run of the contest in the third inning, using two hits and a sacrifice bunt to make it a 6-1 ballgame.
Scratching two more across in the fourth, the Lady Vols extended their advantage to 8-1. Leach led off with a walk and scored on Ayala’s double. Two at-bats later, Ayala crossed home on an error by Utah’s second baseman.
Tennessee’s last two runs came in the sixth inning as the Big Orange used three hits and an error for the 10-1 final.
NEXT UP: Tennessee plays #1/2 Florida State at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 17, on Field #8 at the Eddie C. Moore Complex. The game will be televised on ESPN2 with a live radio broadcast on UTSports.com.
-UT Athletics
