Tennessee Lady Vols softball defeated Georgia 2-1 to take the Knoxville Super Regional
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A trip to Oklahoma City was on the agenda Friday for Tennessee softball. The Lady Vols secured a spot in the Women’s College World Series for the 10th time in program history, with a 2-1 win over the Georgia Bulldogs to take the Knoxville Super Regional in two games.
Sophia Knight hit her second home run in as many days with a two-run blast in the second inning. Sage Mardjetko pitched 5.2 innings of one-run ball on two hits, with nine strikeouts.
Randi Roelling took the ball for Georgia and got into a bases loaded one out situation, before stranding all runners. She got Makenzie Butt to chase a rise ball for a strikeout, and got out of it all with a flyout to right.
Erin Nuwer started in the circle for Tennessee and began with a strikeout of Keirstin Roose. Then with two outs, Georgia put runners on the corners with back-to-back singles from Sarah Gordon and Tyler Ellison. But Nuwer escaped damage as Gabi Novickas grounded out to third.
Gabby Leach led off with a double in the top of the second. She was initially hit by a pitch. However, Georgia’s challenge overturned the call due to the ball being over the plate. After moving over on a Bella Faw sac bunt, she came home on Knight’s two-out blast, giving Tennessee a 2-0 lead.
The Lady Vols got to Roelling for five hits in the inning, ending with singles from Dodge and Clarke.
Nuwer put two Georgia batters on via hit by pitch in the second, and turned the ball over to Mardjetko with one out. Nuwer’s pitches got away from her and hit both Marissa Miller and Emily Digby in the back.
Mardjetko battled with Natalie Ray and got her swinging at a 68.6 miles per hour pitch for a strikeout. Then in a 2-2 count, she fanned Roose to retire the side. Then, in the third, Mardjetko fanned two Bulldog hitters with only a walk issued to Ellison.
The change of speeds ranged between 68 mph and 47 mph, keeping Georgia off balance in that inning. Mardjetko was in control and went on to retire Georgia in order in the fourth inning.
Roelling settled in and retired the Lady Vols in order in the third through fifth innings, and struck out three in the process. Tennessee had some good at bats with great swings, but Roelling was able to induce a good amount of groundouts. Tennessee was also a bit aggressive and only worked one walk in the first five innings.
This game was a clear pitcher’s duel and Mardjetko answered right back with a quick bottom of the fifth, and rang up Roose for her sixth strikeout of the day.
Butt forced the second walk of the day to leadoff the sixth for Tennessee. Saviyah Morgan pinch ran and made it to third on back to back outs, to put the Lady Vols in position for an insurance run. However, Roelling left her standing with a strikeout of Meredith Barnhart.
Both Roelling and Mardjetko did a great job of inducing ground balls. There weren’t many in the air during this game.
Georgia broke through in the sixth with a leadoff single from Gordon, their third hit of the game. After an Ellison lineout to short, Mardjetko fanned Novickas on a 48.6 mph changeup. Then, after issuing a walk to Marissa Miller, she bounced back with another strikeout to retire the side.
The slow changeup worked, and home plate umpire Tatem Stoelting began to call it. After a quick top of the seventh, Mardjetko returned to the circle to finish the job. Digby led off with a triple to right that bounced off G. Leach’s glove on a dive attempt.
Then, with one out, a wild pitch got away from Elsa Morrison, allowing Digby to score to cut the Lady Vols’ lead to one. Mardjetko came with a strikeout to Roose, and a Jaydyn Goodwin groundout to second sealed it.
