University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
#14/14 LSU
Bearden's Walkoff Completes Sweep Over LSU
April 14, 2018 | Softball
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Haley Bearden hit a two-run walkoff home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to give No. 10/13 Tennessee a 6-4 victory over No. 14/14 LSU in the second game of a Saturday doubleheader at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
After being down 4-3 in the seventh, the Lady Vols (37-8, 8-7 SEC) tied the game to send it to extras, where Bearden's first home run of the season secured UT's second series sweep of the SEC schedule. Caylan Arnold went five total innings to earn the winning decision and improve to 17-4 in 2018.
Carley Hoover went seven innings for the second game of the day for the Tigers (32-10, 7-7 SEC). Hoover recorded five strikeouts while giving up five earned runs.
LSU grabbed an early lead in the first inning, as an Emily Griggs sacrifice fly brought home Aliyah Andrews from third. The Tigers would make it 2-0 in the third when Shemiah Sanchez hit a single with the bases loaded to score Taryn Antoine.
UT came right back in the bottom half of the third with two runs of its own to tie the score. Aubrey Leach led off the frame by beating out a throw from third base for a single, and advanced to third on a groundout and a wild pitch. Meghan Gregg then walked to put runners on the corners, and Scarlet McSwain stepped up and drilled a bases-clearing double that made it 2-2.
Each team would trade a run in the fourth to make it 3-3, as Michaela Schlattman for the Tigers and Aubrey Leach for the Lady Vols scored on wild pitches.
The Tigers took a 4-3 lead in top of the sixth. Becca Schulte led off the inning with a double to right center, and after advancing to third on a groundout, she tagged up to score the go-ahead run via a sacrifice fly from Griggs.
In the seventh, with UT needing a spark, Jenna Holcomb was able to reach base as the leadoff batter on a fielding error. McSwain then hit a hard ground ball that could not be handled by the Tigers' second baseman, allowing Holcomb to sprint all the way around and score the tying run.
After Arnold sent the Tigers down in three straight batters in the top of the eighth, Tennessee looked to carry its newfound momentum all the way to a win. In the bottom half, Abby Lockman led off with a single before Bearden stepped in and belted a game-ending shot over the right field bleachers to bring the Parker Lee sellout crowd to its feet.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols will face another team from the Volunteer State on Tuesday as they welcome ETSU to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium for a 6 p.m. matchup. Tennessee will put its 93-game win streak against in-state opponents on the line in the mid-week action.
