KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – In its home opener Wednesday night at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, No. 7 Tennessee claimed its 11th run-rule victory of the season, dominating Radford 10-1.
Tennessee (14-3) exploded in the third and fourth innings, scoring nine runs on eight hits. The surge was highlighted by a pair of two-run home runs—one from Sophia Nugent in the third and another from Taylor Pannell in the fourth.
Freshman Erin Newer shined in her fifth start, improving to 3-0 on the season. The right-hander threw four innings, allowing one hit, striking out six, and walking two batters.
Charli Orsini closed out the game for the Lady Vols, giving up two hits, one run, and one walk.
Amayah Doyle got the scoring started in the second inning with a towering solo shot over the left-field fence. Tennessee expanded its lead in the third when McKenna Gibson extended her hitting streak to 14 games with a double to left, driving in Pannell for a 2-0 advantage.
The Lady Vols executed a textbook double steal, with Laura Mealer stealing second and Zoie Shuler stealing home to make it 3-0.
Nugent capped the third with a two-run blast, her fourth of the year, pushing the lead to 5-0.
Pannell’s towering shot to right-center in the fourth—her eighth home run of the season—stretched the Lady Vols’ advantage to 7-0.
Nugent later drove in the run-rule run with a two-run double to right, bringing the score to 9-0. The inning ended with a 10-0 score after Gabby Leach’s RBI single up the middle.
Radford scored its only run in the fifth, following a walk and a double to right-center.
DUE UP
Tennessee will play host to Delaware State, Indiana State, and UT-Martin for the Tennessee Invitational in Knoxville, running from February 28 to March 2.
STILL STREAKING
With a pair of hits, redshirt sophomore Taylor Pannell extended her hit streak to five games, pushing her streak of consecutive games reaching base to 16.
Senior McKenna Gibson, who missed the past two weeks due to injury, returned to the lineup against Radford, going 1-for-2 with an RBI single and a walk. Gibson extended her hitting streak to 14 games and has reached base safely in 15 consecutive contests. Both streaks date back to the end of the 2024 season.
