TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Junior Ashley Rogers twirled a gem Thursday as the 19th-ranked and seventh-seeded Tennessee softball team shutdown No. 6 and second-seeded Arkansas, 1-0, at Rhoads Stadium.
Pitching for the second consecutive day, Rogers no-hit Arkansas for four innings and allowed the Razorbacks just one lone hit. The Athens, Tennessee, native struck out 12 and walked three as she cruised through the Arkansas lineup.
Rogers earned her 25th win of the season Thursday and threw her 23rd complete game of the year.
With her 12 strikeouts, she came within three of tying the single-game SEC Tournament record set by Alexis Osorio, when she struck out 15 on May 11, 2017 against Texas A&M. Through the first two games of the tournament, Rogers has struck out 25 batters, which ranks sixth all-time in SEC Tournament history.
On the other side of the diamond, Arkansas’ (40-9) Mary Haff threw a complete game and allowed the Lady Vols just two hits on the night. Haff struck out five, walked none and surrendered one run in the loss.
Haff, the SEC Co-Pitcher of the Year, drops to 23-6 on the year.
Tennessee (41-12) scored the games only run off an Ally Shipman solo home run in the top half of the fifth. Shipman picked up UT’s second hit of the game in the seventh as she doubled off the wall in left center.
With the win, Tennessee advances to the SEC Tournament semifinals. It will be the Lady Vols 16th appearance in the semifinals all-time and their first trip to the semis since 2018.
UP NEXT
Tennessee will take on Alabama Friday night with a trip to the championship game on the line. It will be the fourth meeting between the two teams this season, following UT’s three-game series in Tuscaloosa March 19-21.
The Crimson Tide won the regular season series, winning games two and three.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
-UT Athletics
