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April 1, 2009

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Another heart-stopping rally, this one capped off with a seventh-inning RBI from freshman designated player Shelby Burchell, brought No. 13 Tennessee (27-8) back from a two-run deficit as the Lady Vols posted a 3-2 victory over a determined UTEP (21-18) squad on Wednesday evening at the Lee Softball Stadium.

Burchell knocked in UT's first and last runs of the contest as part of a 1-for-2, two-RBI effort via a single up the middle in the bottom of the sixth and a squeeze bunt in the last half of the seventh. The Columbia, Tenn., native has now tallied a .778 (7-of-9) batting average with four RBIs over her last four contests.

Freshman third baseman Jessica Spigner (.358) went 2-for-2 at the dish with a run scored, while sophomore center fielder Kelly Grieve delivered a pair of hits in four at-bats, lifting her season average to .407. Sophomore catcher Jen Lapicki came through with a RBI single in the sixth frame to tie the count at 2-2, and junior first baseman Tiffany Huff (.468) was a perfect 1-for-1 at the plate with two walks while scoring the game-winning run.

"I really questioned my judgment in scheduling a mid-week game against a team that entered the day with 52 home runs and who had already beaten defending national champion Arizona State this season," Lady Vol co-head coach Ralph Weekly said. "UTEP was as advertised, a very tough and disciplined team. This was a tough game for us. Karen (co-head coach Weekly) and I were proud of our team for fighting back to win in our last at-bat. Cat Hosfield showed a lot of character today. We'll need that down the stretch. Shelby Burchell came up with a big hit in the sixth inning to get us on the scoreboard and came through with a solid run-scoring bunt in the seventh. Our main concern is that we left 10 runners on base. We'll go back and work on that."

The top of the first inning raced by quickly for UTEP's offense as Hosfield exerted her influence from the circle. Despite a one-out walk issued to left fielder Chelsea Troupe, UT's 5-9 right hander caught catcher Camilla Carrera and pitcher Stacie Townsend each looking at strike three and induced a routine grounder from third baseman Amber Bennett.

Tennessee got a pair of base runners aboard with two outs in the bottom half of the first as Huff reached via an infield single to short and Spigner walked. A bouncer back to the circle by Burchell ended the opening frame with no damage on the scoreboard.

A fielding miscue on the Lady Vol infield opened the door for a potential Miner scoring threat in the top of the second. After designated player Shea Lodes' bouncer was misplayed, center fielder Becky Smith hustled to beat out an infield single, putting two on the base paths with two outs. First baseman Jennifer Stalter grounded out routinely to Spigner at third, however, as UTEP left the duo stranded.

Troupe laced a two-bagger into the gap in left center with one down in the third frame. An errant high throw to first on a bouncer from Townsend put a pair of Miners on base with UTEP's No. 4 and 5 hitters coming to the plate. Bennett delivered a base knock back through the middle, scoring Troupe from second for a 1-0 lead. UT freshman shortstop Ashley Andrews took care of retiring a runner at second on a grounder off the bat of second baseman Jennifer Davis. With two retired and occupants at both corners, Lodes ripped a shot to third but right at Spigner as the Santa Clarita, Calif., native made a tough catch and fired across the diamond to end the frame.

With one out in the bottom of the third, Grieve delivered a bunt single to second base. After a successful Big Orange steal, Hammond dropped a perfect sacrifice bunt up the first base line, advancing the runner within 60 feet of paydirt. UTEP was very careful in pitching to Huff, walking her on four outside pitches. With Spigner standing at the plate, Huff took off for second on a steal attempt but was gunned down on a strong throw by UTEP's Carrera.

After Hosfield settled back in, working through a one-two-three top of the fourth, Spigner got the Lady Vols off to a good start in the bottom half by beating out a lead-off single to short. Burchell sacrificed the runner up 60 feet via a perfectly placed bunt to the left of the circle. Following an infield pop-up off the bat of junior second baseman Erinn Webb, a UT strikeout left freshman pinch runner Holly Baker standing in scoring position.

A lead-off walk issued to Carrera and an infield single from Troupe set the Miners up in the fifth with two base runners and no outs. Townsend hit into a fielder's choice to Spigner at third as she corralled the ball, turned and tagged out the lead runner. With a big opportunity to add to the advantage, Bennett popped out to short and Davis lifted a harmless pop-up to second as UTEP's left-on-base count was upped to seven overall through five frames.

The Miner lead became 2-0 in the top of the sixth as Lodes led off the inning by driving a solo homer over the left field wall.

In need of a rally, Huff was struck by a Townsend pitch opening the bottom of the sixth. Spigner got ahead in the count 3-1 before drawing a walk to join her teammate on the base paths. Facing a full count at 3-2, Burchell came through with a clutch base knock back up the middle, scoring Huff from second and cutting the UT deficit to 2-1. With Spigner at third and pinch runner Natalee Weissinger occupying second, Webb joined them via walk, loading the bags with still no one retired. Lapicki laced a sharp base knock through the right side of the infield as Spigner raced across to tie the score at 2-2. After a fielder's choice cut down the lead runner at the plate, Pieroni worked the count to 3-2 against Townsend before fouling out near the UT dugout. A strikeout left the bases loaded, but not before Tennessee had successfully tied up the contest.

Hosfield retired the first two Miners in the top of the seventh before running into a little trouble. Townsend just missed a home run, ripping a double into the left center field gap that hit about a foot from the top of the wall. Bennett stepped in with a chance to give UTEP back the lead but grounded out to short as Andrews made the routine play.

With one final chance in regulation, Huff coerced a one out walk off Townsend. A passed ball on Carrera moved the runner into scoring position with Spigner at the plate. The power-hitting rookie battled to a full count, and then delivered a single through the left side of the infield, advancing the lead runner to third. With the winning run standing just 60 feet away, Burchell dropped a squeeze bunt, scoring Huff for the dramatic 3-2 victory.

No. 13 Tennessee returns to conference play this weekend in Baton Rouge, La., with a three-game series at No. 18/17 LSU. First pitch on both Saturday and Sunday is slated for 1 p.m. CT with the series finale scheduled to be broadcast live on Fox SportSouth as part of the SEC-TV package. The Sports Animal (99.1, 99.3 FM, 990 AM) will also be on site to radio broadcast the entire three-game set. Live stats will be available through utladyvols.com via Gametracker.