KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 7 Tennessee opened its three-game series against No. 17 Mississippi State with an 8-0 run-rule victory Friday night at Sherri Lee Parker Stadium.
The Lady Vols (31-7, 6-4 SEC) wasted no time, striking first in the bottom of the first inning. Kinsey Fiedler crushed a two-run homer, her second of the season, to give Tennessee a 2-0 lead.
The offense kept rolling in the frame as Taylor Pannell worked a walk following two illegal pitches by Mississippi State (30-9, 6-4 SEC) before McKenna Gibson got hit to put two runners on. Sophia Nugent followed with an RBI single to left field, extending the lead to 3-0.
In the fifth inning, Tennessee’s bats exploded once again. McKenna Gibson led off with a solo homer, her seventh of the season, to make it 4-0. Nugent and Laura Mealer kept the pressure on with back-to-back singles, and Gabby Leach walked to load the bases.
With two outs, Emma Clarke came through with a clutch pinch-hit two-run double, pushing the advantage to 6-0. Fiedler then capped the game with a walk-off single to right, enforcing the run rule and securing Tennessee’s 17th run-rule win of the season.
IN THE CIRCLE
Karlyn Pickens (14-4) delivered a dominant performance, striking out six and allowing just four hits in a five-inning shutout. She worked her way out of an early jam in the first inning when Mississippi State put runners in scoring position with no outs. Pickens responded by retiring the next three batters, preventing the Bulldogs from scoring. The right-hander lowered her ERA to 0.98 in the outing.
NOTABLE PERFORMERS
Fiedler led the offense, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs, including her two-run homer.
Gibson finished 1-for-1 with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, and launched her 40th career home run, tying her for sixth on Tennessee’s all-time list with Zaida Puni.
Mealer went 2-for-3 with a run scored, while Nugent also posted a 2-for-3 line with an RBI.
DUE UP
Tennessee is set to play a doubleheader on Saturday, with the first game starting at 4 p.m. ET on SEC Network. The series finale will follow at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET and will be streamed on SEC Network+.
