Lady Vols slap past Appalachian State, 8-0

The Tennessee softball team got its short game going and made short work of Appalachian State.

The Lady Vols evoked the run-rule in scoring the 8-0, five-inning victory over the Mountaineers on Wednesday.

Appalachian State (23-25) had won six of its previous seven games and hadn't been run-ruled all season.

But with 15th-ranked UT's slap hitters going 5-for-9, and power hitters Tiffany Huff and Erinn Webb delivering, the Lady Vols (36-11-1) rolled before the crowd of 540 at Lee Softball Stadium.

"We hit the ball well and got a great outing out of (Cat) Hosfield,'' UT co-head coach Ralph Weekly said. "And Webb's hard work paid off at the plate.''

Hosfield (27-9) allowed one hit and struck out seven.

Webb broke out of a 2-for-20 slump with a 2-for-3, two-RBI performance.

"Erinn came to us Monday and wanted extra hitting work,'' Weekly said. "She has one of the best left-handed swings I've ever seen; she just wasn't pulling the trigger.''

Webb has been streaky throughout her career.

The junior drilled three home runs against Virginia Tech in last year's NCAA Regional, and against nationally ranked Oklahoma this season, Webb delivered a game-winning triple in one win and a home run in another.

"It was frustrating being in a slump,'' Webb said. "I just tried to clear my mind and come in with a more aggressive mentality.''

Webb narrowly missed a grand slam when the deep shot she put down the right-field line was ruled foul. A few pitches later, Webb lined a two-run double.

"Every swing felt better,'' Webb said. "Tiffany and I were competing in batting practice this week, and that got me going.''

It didn't hurt Huff, either; the All-America candidate had four RBIs in her pursuit of UT's single-season RBI record.

Huff's three-run homer in the fourth made it 6-0, sending the Lady Vols on their way to the rout while pushing her RBI total to an SEC-high 64.

UT's single-season record (77) is held by Kristi Durant (2005) and Bridget Jackson (1996).

Huff also got involved in the short game, dropping a squeeze bunt in the third to give UT a 1-0 lead.

All three slappers - Kelly Grieve, Lillian Hammond, and Ashley Andrews - delivered. Grieve and Hammond led off the 1-2 spots in the order with two hits apiece and Andrews' slap hit drove in the final run.

UT returns to action at 1 p.m Saturday at Georgia in a pivotal SEC series. The Lady Vols (11-8-1 SEC) would need to sweep the Bulldogs (14-6) to take over second in the SEC East.