KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The No. 1 Lady Vols remained undefeated as they opened SEC play with a 5-0 victory over No. 17 LSU Friday night at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
Makenzie Butt and Taelyn Holley dominated at the plate with a homer apiece, combining for four RBIs on the night.
Seven Lady Vols recorded hits, for nine total as a team. Four of UT’s five runs were scored by Ella Dodge and Holley, who finished with two each.
The Lady Vols (21-0, 1-0 SEC) continued to dominate at the plate with productive outings from Sophia Knight and Maddi Rutan. Knight finished two-for-four with an RBI while Rutan boasted a two-for-three night at the dish.
Butt crushed her fifth long ball of the year, as her two-run blast opened the scoring for the Lady Vols in the third inning. Holley added insurance in the fourth with a solo blast to left field, her third of the year.
Tennessee extended its lead in the fifth as Dodge doubled to right center, followed by an Elsa Morrison single to left field. Morrison advanced to second on the throw, putting the Lady Vols in scoring position. Butt reached on a fielder’s choice, bringing home Dodge to tack on another run for the Big Orange.
A hit-by-pitch to Holley in the sixth and a single by Rutan put Tennessee back in scoring position. A single to second by Knight delivered the decisive blow, extending the Lady Vols’ lead to 5-0 and giving Holley her second run of the night.
5-0 ALL AROUND
Sage Mardjetko dominated the circle in shutout fashion. The junior tossed her fourth complete game and third shutout of the season to improve to 5-0.
Mardjetko held LSU (17-5, 0-1 SEC) scoreless, striking out six batters while limiting the Tigers to four hits and no walks. The righty worked 1-2-3 innings over the game’s final three frames.
DUE UP
The Lady Vols and Tigers will face off again Saturday afternoon in Game Two of the weekend series. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. ET on SECN+.
