University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
8-3
DePaul
2-8
Geathers' 5 RBIs Lead Vols to Blowout Win
February 21, 2016 | Softball
Box Score | Karen Weekly Postgame | Geathers Postgame |
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- No. 12/14 Tennessee blasted a season-high three home runs to power past DePaul for a 16-4 run-rule victory on Sunday afternoon in the finale of the Michele Smith Pediatric Cancer Foundation Invitational.
Shaliyah Geathers topped her career-high of four RBIs that she set on Friday against Oklahoma State with a five RBI performance against the Blue Demons (2-8). Five different players had multiple RBIs as the Vols scored early and often on their way to a season-high 16 runs.
The Big Orange wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, jumping all over the Blue Demons with seven runs in the first inning. Meghan Gregg got the train rolling with an RBI single to score Aubrey Leach and Geathers followed with a double off the fence in right center field to score two more runs. Lexi Overstreet brought Geathers home with another double and Rainey Gaffin blasted a 3-run homer to cap off the scoring in the inning and spot UT an early 7-0 lead.
DePaul plated two runs with a 2-out rally in the top of the second. Naomi Tellez cut the UT lead to five with a 2-run homer after Haydn Christensen drew a walk one batter earlier.
Tennessee (8-3) got those runs right back in the bottom of the second courtesy of a 2-run bomb by Gretchen Aucoin and continued to pour it on in the third.
After DePaul scored a run in the top of the third to cut the deficit to six, Tennessee blew the game wide open with another 7-run outburst in the bottom half of the inning. Overstreet led off the frame with a solo shot to left center and Geer drove in two more runs with a bases-loaded single. After another walk reloaded the bases, Geathers quickly cleared them with her second double of the game. She came around to score on a single by Aucoin later in the inning for the Vols 16th and final run of the day.
Erin Gabriel earned her third win of the weekend and improved to 5-1 on the season after striking out seven batters in just three innings of work. Freshman Bria Bush pitched the final two innings, giving up only one hit while recording three strikeouts.
With the win, Tennessee finished the tournament with a 4-1 record and four straight victories after falling to No. 19/20 James Madison in Friday's opening game.
UT returns action this Thursday at 3 p.m. for its home opener against Dayton before traveling to Tuscaloosa for the Easton Bama Bash from Feb. 26-28.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Gabriel, Erin (5-1)
L: MAIZE, Morgan (2-5)
Batting:
HR: TELLEZ, Naomi 1
RBI: TELLEZ, Naomi 2
Base Running:
RUNS: MAIZE, Morgan 1 ; CHRISTENSEN, Haydn 1 ; TELLEZ, Naomi 1 ; PENDILTON, Marsha' 1
Batting:
2B: Geathers, Shaliyah 2 ; Overstreet, Lexi 1
HR: Aucoin, Gretchen 1 ; Overstreet, Lexi 1 ; Gaffin, Rainey 1
RBI: Geer, Megan 2 ; Gregg, Meghan 1 ; Geathers, Shaliyah 5 ; Aucoin, Gretchen 3 ; Overstreet, Lexi 2 ; Gaffin, Rainey 3
SH: Vines, Brooke 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Leach, Aubrey 1 ; Huffstetler, Savannah 1 ; Vines, Brooke 1 ; Geer, Megan 3 ; Gregg, Meghan 2 ; Geathers, Shaliyah 2 ; Aucoin, Gretchen 1 ; Lockman, Abby 1 ; Overstreet, Lexi 2 ; Gaffin, Rainey 1 ; McClain, CJ 1
SB: Vines, Brooke 1 ; Gregg, Meghan 1
HBP: McClain, CJ 1
