Saul Young

Tennessee's Tonya Callahan cuts loose a throw during Sunday's game against LSU as teammate Kenora Posey backs her up.

Saul Young

The Tennessee Lady Vols softball team had plenty to smile about and celebrate Sunday afternoon but only after catcher Shannon Doepking delivered a clutch two-run double in the seventh inning provided a 5-4 victory over SEC-rival LSU at Lee Softball Stadium. The Lady Vols rallied from a 3-0 deficit to pull off the victory.

Saul Young

Lady Vols softball co-head coach Ralph Weekly, right, roots on Erinn Webb after Webb hit a three-run homer during Sunday's game.

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She got fooled once. She got fooled twice.

Shannon Doepking didn't get fooled a third time Sunday afternoon.

One inning after striking out with the bases loaded, Doepking ripped a two-run double in the seventh inning that gave No. 9 Tennessee a 5-4 victory over No. 11 LSU at Lee Softball Stadium.

"I just knew when I went up there I was going to sit on a change-up," Doepking said, "because the at-bat before (in the sixth) I had gotten two change-ups that fooled me."

Doepking, a senior catcher, took a fastball for a ball and a fastball for a strike before getting a change-up with a 1-1 count in the seventh.

Her line drive sailed over the head of right-fielder Quinlan Duhon. Kenora Posey scored easily from second and pinch-runner Kelly Grieve slid head-first around the tag of LSU catcher Killian Roessner for the winning run.

"I choked my first at-bat (in the sixth) and I knew I had to get it back the next one," Doepking said.

UT (43-9, 13-8 SEC) took over third place in the standings, 1.5 games ahead of LSU (34-14, 12-10).

The Lady Vols rallied from a 3-0 deficit as Tigers' starter Cody Trahan took a no-hitter into the fifth.

"That was a great victory for our team over a very good LSU program," UT co-head coach Ralph Weekly said. "LSU has lost four conference games in the last inning and we knew today that it was going to be a battle to the end."

UT freshman Ashton Ward (24-3), who threw a one-hitter in Saturday's 8-0 victory over LSU, went the distance Sunday and gave up four runs on eight hits.

LSU scored all of its runs on three homers - including a solo homer by Duhon in the sixth that gave the Lady Tigers a 4-3 lead.

"Saturday, (Ward) was hitting her spots," Weekly said. "(Sunday,) she got behind on almost every batter and had to come in fat (with strikes) and they were ready to tee off. She went deep in the count almost every time."

Trahan got out of jams with inning-ending double plays in the second and fourth.

Tiffany Huff reached on an error to start UT's fifth. Jen Lapicki followed with UT's first hit, a double to deep center.

Sophomore Erinn Webb followed with a three-run homer to center. Weekly called timeout and talked with Webb before the pitch she hit for a homer.

"We had slappers coming up so (Weekly) wanted me to drive something to the outfield," Webb said. "That's what he told me, 'Let's get these runs in.' "

Trahan was relieved by Tiffany Garcia after Webb's homer. Garcia walked Nicole Kajitani and Lillian Hammond on eight pitches. Posey advanced the runners with a bunt, and Chandra Mogan grounded out.

With first base open, Garcia intentionally walked Tonya Callahan, a third straight for Callahan. Doepking struck out with a check swing on a 3-2 pitch, a drop ball.

"I got fooled," Doepking said, "and I knew I was going to come back up with the game on the line in (the seventh) because I knew they were going to walk Tonya, so I went up there knowing I was sitting on a change-up."