University of Tennessee Athletics
Saturday, March 14
Starkville, MS
3 PM ET
University of Tennessee
26-1, 4-1
0
at
1
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Mississippi State
27-3, 1-1
1st innning1
2nd innning2
3rd innning3
4th innning4
5th innning5
6th innning6
7th innning7
RunsR
HitsH
ErrorsE
Tennessee
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
Mississippi State
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
3
0
#1 Lady Vols Suffer First Defeat of 2026 to #12 Mississippi State
March 14, 2026 | Softball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – No. 1-ranked Tennessee fell to No. 12 Mississippi State 1-0 at Nusz Park on Saturday in another pitcher's duel.
The loss is the Lady Vols' first of the season after starting the year a program-best 26-0.
Like Game 1 of the series, it came down to one big hit and it was Mississippi State that provided it.
Taylor Troutman hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh, taking a 3-2 pitch over the wall in center field.
Maddi Rutan started in the circle for Tennessee (26-1, 4-1 SEC) and tossed 4.2 frames of no-hit ball. The junior struck out four and issued one walk in her first SEC start.
Erin Nuwer took over with two away in the fifth. She notched two strikeouts, scattering three hits and allowed the game's lone run.
Mississippi State (27-3, 1-1 SEC) got a complete-game performance from Peja Goold. The transfer pitcher surrendered two hits, no walks and tallied 10 strikeouts en route to her 11th win of the season.
Both pitching staffs carried no-hitters into the sixth inning. Sophia Knight broke up Goold's no-hit bid with a single. Ella Dodge picked up Tennessee's second hit with a single up the middle.
Morgan Stiles ended UT's combined no-hitter with a single in the bottom half of the inning. Nadia Barbary laced a single to left field before Nuwer got out of the sixth with a strikeout and a fielder's choice.
DUE UP
Tennessee and Mississippi State close out the three-game series on Sunday, March 15, at Nusz Park. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
The loss is the Lady Vols' first of the season after starting the year a program-best 26-0.
Like Game 1 of the series, it came down to one big hit and it was Mississippi State that provided it.
Taylor Troutman hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh, taking a 3-2 pitch over the wall in center field.
Maddi Rutan started in the circle for Tennessee (26-1, 4-1 SEC) and tossed 4.2 frames of no-hit ball. The junior struck out four and issued one walk in her first SEC start.
Erin Nuwer took over with two away in the fifth. She notched two strikeouts, scattering three hits and allowed the game's lone run.
Mississippi State (27-3, 1-1 SEC) got a complete-game performance from Peja Goold. The transfer pitcher surrendered two hits, no walks and tallied 10 strikeouts en route to her 11th win of the season.
Both pitching staffs carried no-hitters into the sixth inning. Sophia Knight broke up Goold's no-hit bid with a single. Ella Dodge picked up Tennessee's second hit with a single up the middle.
Morgan Stiles ended UT's combined no-hitter with a single in the bottom half of the inning. Nadia Barbary laced a single to left field before Nuwer got out of the sixth with a strikeout and a fielder's choice.
DUE UP
Tennessee and Mississippi State close out the three-game series on Sunday, March 15, at Nusz Park. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: P. Goold (11-1)
L: Nuwer, Erin (11-1)
Base Running:
CS: Knight, Sophia 1
HBP: Dodge, Ella 1 ; Morrison, Elsa 1
.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
Batting:
HR: T. Troutman 1
RBI: T. Troutman 1
Base Running:
RUNS: T. Troutman 1
HBP: D. Rivera 1 ; A. Supan 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
1b/dp
AB
3
R
0
H
0
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
UT
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P/INF
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