Koenig, Gaffin Power UT Past Ohio, 5-0

Friday, February 6

Kennesaw, Ga.

11:00 AM

University of Tennessee

1-0

Ohio

0-1

Ohio

Tennessee

February 06, 2015 | Softball

Box Score

Feb. 6, 2015

Box Score

KENNESAW, Ga. -- Taylor Koenig and Rainey Gaffin each hit two-run homers and Tory Lewis hit an RBI sac fly to power No. 13 Tennessee to a 5-0 season-opening win over Ohio in the KSU Classic at Bailey Park.

With the win, Tennessee (1-0) improved to 13-7 all-time in season openers and 11-3 under the direction of the Weeklys in the first game of the year.

Lewis went 2-for-2 with one RBI. Koenig finished 1-for-2 with the two-run homer and a walk. Gaffin was 1-for-4 with the two-run shot. Shaliyah Geathers recorded UT's first hit of the season, a laser shot through the right side in the fourth inning.

Erin Gabriel (1-0) earned the win after throwing four shutout frames with three strikeouts and just one hit allowed. Gaffin threw three scoreless relief frames with five strikeouts.

Lewis got UT on the scoreboard with an RBI sac fly in the second inning. Lexi Overstreet drew a leadoff walk, Koenig walked on five pitches and Geathers was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Lewis, playing in her first game since 2013, knocked a sac fly to center field to plate Overstreet and give Tennessee a 1-0 advantage.

Tennessee left runners stranded in the third, fourth and fifth before breaking things open with a four-run sixth. After Gretchen Aucoin drew a leadoff walk and CJ McClain entered to pinch run, Koenig smacked a two-run homer to the tennis courts in left field to push the Lady Vols' lead to 3-0. Four batters later, Gaffin rocked a 3-1 pitch over the wall in center field for a two-run homer that scored Meghan Gregg.

The Tennessee-Dayton game originally slated for 3 p.m. looks like it will start closer to 4 p.m. due to the Kennesaw State-Ohio game currently being played.