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March 5, 2003

Box Score |  Photo Gallery

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.

The Lady Vol offense banged out 10 hits and lit up the scoreboard for a season-high 14 runs to complete a twinbill sweep of Belmont with a 14-0 rout at Tyson Park on Wednesday. The contest was halted after five innings due to the eight-run rule. The duo of freshmen Stacey Jennings (Aurora, Colo.) and Christy Anch (Ashburn, Va.) combined with senior Stephanie Humphrey (Knoxville, Tenn.) to limit the Bruins to just three singles in notching UT's fifth shutout of the year. Jennings (9-4) was credited with the decision to pick up her second win of the afternoon and help Tennessee (16-6) claim its sixth straight outing. BU dropped to 1-4-1 with its fourth consecutive setback.

"We had an outstanding offensive effort today and we played pretty well on defense," said Co-Head Coach Ralph Weekly. "Our immediate goal is to be one of the top teams in our region and we need to get an outstanding effort in all phases of each game. I was particularly impressed with the efforts from Ellisha (Humphrey), Amber (Rhinehart) and Angela (Brewer), who played well in both games."

Tennessee sent nine batters to the plate in the first stanza and was able to construct a 4-0 lead. Freshman Sarah Fekete (Maryville, Tenn.) poked a leadoff single into left and was sacrificed to second by classmate Katherine Card (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.). Following a walk to freshman Kristi Durant (Placentia, Calif.), Jennings beat out an infield single to load the bases. BU junior Mandy Miles uncorked a wild pitch to allow Fekete to score the game's initial run and then the hurler issued consecutive walks to sophomore Amber Rhinehart (Citrus Heights, Calif.) and junior Lauren Mattox (Charlotte, N.C.). The second free pass enabled Durant to stroll home with the second run. Junior Angela Brewer (East Ridge, Tenn.) then smacked her third extra-base hit of the double-dip to plate Jennings and Rhinehart to increase the margin to 4-0.

The following inning, the Lady Vols erupted for seven runs on three hits and a BU error after 13 players stepped into the batter's box. Fekete was hit by a pitch to start things off and advanced to second base on a single by Card. Durant extended her hitting skein to 13 games with an RBI base-hit to left field to plate Fekete and Jennings drew a walk to load the bases and chase Miles (0-2) from the game. Rhinehart earned an RBI courtesy of a base on balls to make the score 6-0 and Mattox laced a hit into left to plate Durant. Brewer's bases-loaded grounder forced Jennings at home but Tennessee tacked on another run when freshman pinch hitter Kristen Bass (Chattanooga, Tenn.) earned a free pass from Bruin sophomore reliever Tara Allen. Junior Ellisha Humphrey's (Knoxville, Tenn.) ensuing grounder was misplayed, allowing both Mattox and Brewer to cross the dish. Fekete continued the walking tour to fill the sacks again and Card's groundout later brought in Bass to help the Orange roll up an 11-run cushion.

The Lady Vols would tack on three more runs in the third on Ellisha Humphrey's first homer of the season, a towering shot over the left field fence, to complete the scoring. Previously, freshman Kim Sanders (Placentia, Calif.) stroked a one-hit single up the middle and Brewer followed with another base-knock to chase Allen from the circle. Freshman Teresa Jeffers retired Bass on a fly ball to center field before Humphrey crushed a 3-2 pitch for just the third four-bagger of her career.

Jennings worked the first two innings, allowing two hits with two strikeouts, before Anch came on and tossed two perfect frames. Stephanie Humphrey gave up a hit to sophomore Julie Castelli with one down in the fifth but the Bruin was erased trying for a double on a bullet from freshman right fielder Kim Anders (Erwin, Tenn.) to shortstop Ellisha Humphrey. The elder Humphrey would whiff Jeffers to end the game. Card and Brewer were each 2-for-3 to trigger UT's 10-hit offensive thrust.

UT will begin its 30-game Southeastern Conference slate this weekend with a three-game series at No. 7 LSU (16-5). The teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, followed by a single contest on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT. The Fighting Tigers have captured the league title four straight years.