The top-ranked Tennessee Lady Volunteers softball team began their home slate with two victories at the Tennessee Invitational held at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. In the opening game, Tennessee defeated Appalachian State 9-1 in six innings. The Lady Vols then secured a 4-1 win over Penn State in the second game of the doubleheader.
Pitchers Erin Nuwer and Sage Mardjetko each delivered complete-game performances for Tennessee. Nuwer started against Appalachian State, giving up one run on four hits while striking out five and walking one over six innings. Mardjetko pitched against Penn State, allowing just one run on one hit with two walks and 10 strikeouts across seven innings. Over her last three outings, Mardjetko has tallied 33 strikeouts.
With these wins, Tennessee improved to a 16-0 record, matching the third-best start in program history set by the 2005 team.
In Game One against Appalachian State (12-3), Makayla McClain gave the Mountaineers an early lead with a solo home run in the first inning. However, Tennessee responded by scoring nine unanswered runs, including a six-run fifth inning highlighted by Elsa Morrison’s three-run double. Morrison finished with three hits and four RBIs, while Taelyn Holley added a double and three RBIs.
Game Two saw Penn State (14-3) take a brief lead with a solo home run from Allison Oneacre in the fourth inning—the Nittany Lions’ only hit of the contest. The Lady Vols answered in the fifth when Ella Dodge hit a grand slam to left field after singles from Sophia Knight and Elsa Morrison loaded the bases. Mardjetko retired 10 of the final 11 batters to secure the victory for Tennessee.
Tennessee will continue play in the tournament on Saturday with another doubleheader against Penn State and North Carolina Central. The first game is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
