BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Two dominant pitching performances and productive days at the plate from senior Amanda Ayala and sophomore Kiki Milloy propelled the Lady Vols softball team to victories over Texas A&M and Lamar on Saturday at the Reveille Classic at Davis Diamond.
Sophomore pitcher Callie Turner stole the show in the circle, tossing a five-inning no-hitter in the Orange & White’s second victory of the day over Lamar.
Turner’s no-hitter was the second no-no tossed by a Lady Vol pitcher this week, following Samantha Bender who did so last Sunday against Central Michigan. This marks the first time Tennessee has had two different pitchers throw a no-hitter in the same season since 2012.
Milloy went 4-for-5 with a pair of RBIs and a homer, giving the UT bats life in the win over Texas A&M to begin the day.
Ayala took over in game two going 3-for-4 with four RBI and a home run of her own to help the Lady Vols power past Lamar.
Game 1 – Tennessee 3 Texas A&M 2
Junior Ashley Rodgers largely silenced the bats of Texas A&M, fanning 10 batters in a complete game effort that saw her give up just two runs on three hits for her seventh win in the circle.
Following a quiet first two innings, the Lady Vols were the first to threaten, loading the bases with no outs in the top of the third.
The Aggies got themselves out of the jam and entered the bottom half of the inning unscathed. However, the Orange & White immediately responded as Kiki Milloy and Ivy Davis went yard in back-to-back at-bats to give UT a 2-0 lead as the contest reached its mid-point.
An inning and a half later, Texas A&M responded. After being held without a hit for four and a third, the Aggies struck on back-to-back homers of their own to knot the score at 2-2 heading into the sixth.
In the top of the sixth, the Lady Vols loaded the bases for the third time and sophomore Hanna Fox scampered home on a wild pitch from Makinzy Herzog to give UT the slim 3-2 edge.
Rodgers slammed the door shut in the final two innings to give Tennessee its first win of the day.
Game 2 – Tennessee 8 Lamar 0
A five-inning no-hitter from Turner and an explosive offensive performance from Ayala, pushed Tennessee past Lamar, 8-0.
The Lady Vols jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead, manufacturing a run that started off the bat of senior Amanda Ayala.
The Bloomfield, New Jersey native singled to left field, stole second and advanced to third on a ground out from Cailin Hannon, before scoring on an error from the Cardinals pitcher.
After two quick innings from Callie Turner in the circle, the Orange & White put runners on second and third before Milloy ripped a single to left field, brining home Hannon to double the UT lead.
In the following inning, with a runner on second, Ayala went yard, inside the park style, roping a ball off the centerfield wall and rounding the bases to increase the Lady Vol lead to 4-0.
In the fifth, the Lady Vol bats exploded for four runs on three hits to take an 8-0 lead into the bottom half of the eighth.
Ayala’s bat was responsible for the final two runs of the inning as she slapped a single through the left side bringing in her third and fourth RBI’s of the night cap.
Turner sent Lamar away 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fifth to improve UT to 16-1 on the year.
UP NEXT
Tennessee returns to action tomorrow morning for its finale at the Reveille Classic when it takes on Campbell at 11 a.m. ET at Davis Diamond.
Texas A&M Box Score | Lamar Box Score | Update Cumulative Stats
-UT Athletics
