Lady Vols to play for region title, 8-1

Tennessee out-slugged Louisville, 8-1, to keep its postseason hopes alive Saturday night.

The 13th-ranked Lady Vols (49-15) dropped a 4-0 decision to 16th-ranked Virginia Tech earlier in the day before bouncing back with the win over the Cardinals (31-23) at Lee Softball Stadium.

UT needs to beat the Hokies (46-15) twice today to advance to play the winner of the Ann Arbor, Mich., regional in a best-of-three Super Regional series next weekend. Today's first game starts at 1:30 p.m, and another game will follow should the Lady Vols win.

UT broke open Saturday night's game in the top of the fifth, scoring four runs off two walks and three hits to take a commanding 6-1 lead.

Louisville starter Kristen Wadwell (19-15) issued walks to the first two batters before Tiffany Huff delivered a one-out, RBI double to extend the lead to 3-1.

Jen Lapicki followed Huff with a bloop single to make it 4-1, and Erin Webb closed the scoring with a two-RBI triple down the right-field line.

The Lady Vols opened the game's scoring with a double steal in the top of the first after getting some help from Louisville, which eliminated Winthrop, 4-1.

Lillian Hammond led off with a slap single and ended up at second when the throw to first went into the outfield. Chandra Mogan followed with a hard shot that Cardinals third baseman Chelsea Bemis couldn't handle, putting runners on the corners.

Mogan stole second when shortstop Colby Wherry dropped the throwdown, and Hammond raced home from third on the double steal.

UT made it 2-0 in the third when Lapicki delivered a two-out RBI single up the middle. Louisville answered in the bottom of the frame on Chelsea Bemis' sacrifice fly to left.

Lapicki, who finished 4-for-4 with four RBIs, closed out the scoring with a two-run home run in the seventh.

"I was just feeling really comfortable in that game, and I wanted to get a piece of the ball,'' Lapicki said. "I just went up there trying to get a hit.''

Meanwhile, UT pitcher Megan Rhodes was making the Cardinals earn everything they got.

"We only walked one batter, and we didn't hit anybody,'' said Karen Weekly, who along with her husband, Ralph, serves as the Lady Vols' co-head coach.

Rhodes (22-10) bounced back from the Virginia Tech loss by scattering five hits while striking out seven in pitching the complete game.

Going For 50: The Lady Vols will try to reach the 50-win plateau for a fifth straight season. The last time UT didn't win 50 games was pre-Monica Abbott in 2003, when it went 45-25 and failed to make the NCAA field.

Mystery Pitcher: Karen Weekly wouldn't disclose the Lady Vols' starter in today's first game with Virginia Tech.

Rhodes threw 106 pitches in 32<0x2044>3 innings against the Hokies on Saturday and another 97 against Louisville. Freshman Ashton Ward threw 36 pitches in 3 1/3 innings of relief against Virginia Tech.

Nice Digs: Count Winthrop coach Mark Cooke among the fans of new $8 million Lee Softball Stadium.

"We went from the outhouse (Tyson Park) to the penthouse,'' Cooke said. "It's beautiful; it's phenomenal.''

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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