Stephen K. Lee, Assistant Director of Media Relations – University of Tennessee (Photo Courtesy of Tennesse Athletics)
Box Score – Game 1
Box Score – Game 2
TAMPA, Fla. — Megan Geer’s three-hit, three RBI effort and Ellen Renfroe’s terrific two-hitter lifted No.1 Tennessee past Pittsburgh, 5-0, on Friday in the Lady Vols’ first of five games in the USF Tournament.
Tennessee (5-0) scored one in the first, two in the fourth, and added two more in the sixth, topping Pittsburgh (3-4). The Lady Vols are now 2-0 all-time against the Panthers.
Freshman Megan Geer led the Lady Vols offense going 3-for-4 at the plate, knocking in three runs for the Orange and White and scoring one. Melissa Davin added a solo home run and Madison Shipman tacked on the final run in the bottom of the sixth.
Senior Ellen Renfroe (3-0) had an outstanding outing, striking out 12 batters in seven innings and allowing only two hits. Pitt’s starting pitcher Savannah King pitched five innings, allowing ten hits and five runs. Alexa Larkin relieved King in the sixth inning and struck out three to finish the inning.
Tennessee got on the board quickly in the first inning when Melissa Davin homered to right center to make the score 1-0. It was her second home run of the season.
UT pushed the lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the 4th. After singles by Annie Aldrete and Cheyanne Tarango, Hannah Akamine reached on error to load the bases. A two-RBI single from Megan Geer knocked in Tarango and pinch runner, Hannah Devotie.
The Lady Vols added two final runs in the sixth, stretching the lead to 5-0. Tobler opened the inning with a single. In the ensuing at-bat Megan Geer drove her in for an RBI double to left center. Madison Shipman then followed up with an RBI single up the middle, scoring Geer from second to put the game out of reach.
Pittsburgh’s two hits came in the top of the seventh after Tori Nirschi and Carly Thea both singled back-to-back. Nirschi broke up the no-hitter with a single off Renfroe’s left leg. Thea had a single down the left field line.
Erin Gabriel threw the best game of her young UT career, fanning 11 over five shutout innings, Melissa Davin had an inside-the-park home run and Taylor Koenig drove in three runs as No. 1 Tennessee cruised past Binghamton, 10-0, in five innings late Friday night in the USF Tournament.
With a 6-0 lead through three innings, Tennessee (6-0) scored four in the fourth to put the game out of reach while Gabriel limited Binghamton (1-1) to just two hits and one walk over five shutout innings while commanding the strike zone to post a career-best 11 strikeouts.
Koenig was 2-for-2 with a triple, three RBIs and two runs. Madison Shipman went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs. Annie Aldrete had a two-run double off the wall in left field .
Annika Wiesinger (0-1) took the loss in her first career start for Binghamton after allowing six runs over 2.2 frames. Senior Demi Laney allowed four runs in 1.1 innings in relief.
UT jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Davin hit a ball deep to center field, scoring Megan Geer and herself on an inside-the-park home run.
In the bottom of the second, Haley Tobler, making her second career start, pushed Tennessee’s lead to 3-0 when hit a two-out RBI single through the left side.
Tennessee poured on three runs in the third inning. With two outs and runners on the corners, Koenig belted a two-run triple off the wall in right field, plating Shipman and Cheyanne Tarango. Two batters later, Hannah Akamine ripped an RBI single down the left field line and UT’s lead was 6-0.
In the bottom of the fourth, Alley Perkins hit a two-out RBI double to left center, scoring Shipman. After Tarango was hit by a pitch, Koenig knocked an RBI single to center. Aldrete followed with a big two-run double to deep left center.
Tennessee, which defeated Pitt, 5-0 earlier on Friday, will next face host USF and Illinois on Saturday. UT plays USF at 4 p.m. ET and Illinois at 8:30 p.m. ET. Both games will feature free live audio on UTSports.com and live stats via GoUSFBulls.com.
