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Lady Vols start SEC with loss, 8-0
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The No. 4-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols softball team faced an eye-opening SEC opener on Saturday.
UT traveled to No. 2-ranked Alabama and got waxed 8-0 in a six-inning, run-rule game by the Crimson Tide.
An Alabama school-record crowd of 2,252 watched the Lady Vols (20-2, 0-1 SEC) get outhit 11-3 on a cold blustery day in Tuscaloosa.
While the Lady Vols struggled to hit, freshman pitcher Ashton Ward (12-2) struggled on the mound. She allowed seven earned runs on 11 hits in five innings in her SEC debut.
Alabama (19-1, 1-0) countered with a strong performance from its freshman pitcher Kelsi Dunne, who struck out eight en route to the shutout victory.
Things looked promising in the top of the first when the Lady Vols loaded the bases with two outs on two walks and a hit batter. Sophomore Tiffany Huff worked the count full, but Dunne eventually got the strikeout to end the threat.
It was basically downhill from there for UT.
Alabama scored one run in the first, four in the third, one in the fourth and two in the sixth.
The Tide's Lauren Parker had the big blast of the game, a three-run homer off Ward in the third inning. Ashley Holcombe later added a solo shot in the inning.
Kelley Montalvo was 3-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored for Alabama. Parker was 2-for-4 with four RBIs.
"It was surprising that we scored eight runs in six innings," Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. "They hadn't been giving up runs to anyone. Our story has been playing sloppy first innings, but we came back today and scored first, which is key for us, and we kicked it into high gear from there."
UT's offense managed a single from Tonya Callahan in the third, a single from Huff in the fourth and a bloop single from Shannon Doepking in the sixth.
The Lady Vols and Tide were supposed to play a doubleheader on Saturday, but inclement weather forced a change in plans to a doubleheader today beginning at 1:30 p.m.
© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Posted by vol4good on March 9, 2008 at 8:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Really good team ladies, plus it was freaking COLD. You'll get another chance to beat them Bammers! GO VOLS!!!
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