'Be Tennessee' works against LSU, 6-5

The sign in the Tennessee softball dugout was short and to the point: "Be Tennessee.''

The 16th-ranked Lady Vols did just that, clawing out a dramatic 6-5 victory over 20th-ranked LSU in the first round of the the SEC tournament at Lee Stadium on Thursday night.

It was a step back toward the type of clutch, gritty play that made UT a national power since co-head coaches Ralph and Karen Weekly took over the program in 2002.

A step, but at 7 o'clock tonight the Lady Vols (38-15-1) will need to climb a mountain as they'll meet No. 1 Florida (52-3), the defending SEC tournament champions. The Gators eliminated UT from last year's SEC tournament by a 6-1 count, and outscored the Lady Vols 18-1 in sweeping the three-game series in Gainesville in March.

"I'd like to think that was earlier this season, and I've become a smarter, better pitcher since then,'' said UT freshman pitcher Cat Hosfield, who pitched herself into - and out of - a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh.

Hosfield (28-1-1) hit a batter and walked two in the final frame before second baseman Nicole Kajitani finished the game with a quick throw to first on a groundout.

"I knew the ball was coming to me, and I was hoping it would,'' Kajitani said. "There was so much emotion; it was so important for us to win this.''

Alabama and Kentucky meet at 5 p.m. in today's other semifinal game. The No. 3 Tide beat Arkansas 8-0, and Kentucky beat No. 6 Georgia 2-0. The winners of today's games play at 1:30 p.m. Saturday for the championship.

Florida coach Tim Walton said he's expecting to see Hosfield's best tonight.

"She does a great job throwing multiple pitches,'' Walton said. "With the tournament being here in Tennessee, and Cat pitching and being from Tennessee, it will be very special for her.''

The Lady Vols jumped out to a 5-0 lead on LSU (32-16-1) with the aid of three Tigers' errors.

LSU coach Yvette Girouard, whose team lost a doubleheader to the Lady Vols in Baton Rouge on April 4, confirmed that UT once again managed to bring out the worst in the Tigers.

"I don't want to take anything away from Tennessee, but yes,'' Girouard said. "I'll be content without seeing any other orange team the rest of the season.''

The Tigers pulled to 5-4 in the third, an inning that saw Hosfield pulled for seven batters while Jessica Spigner struggled and allowed four runs to cross the plate.

Hosfield re-entered with two outs and two runners on and fanned the next batter to retire the side.

The Lady Vols added their final run in the fourth on Kelly Grieve's RBI single before LSU tallied with a run in the fifth.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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