Key takeaways: Lady Vols combine for 11 hits in WCWS-opening win
Tennessee is moving on in the Women's College World Series.
For the fourth time this season, the 4-seed Lady Vols beat 5-seed Alabama, claiming a 10-5 victory on Friday that pushes Tennessee into the winner's bracket at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City as the program seeks its first national title.
Behind a big performance at the plate, the Lady Vols (50-8) totaled 11 hits and had three innings with multiple runs, holding off a late push from the Crimson Tide (45-21).
Here are the takeaways.
Offense headlines win
Tennessee has appeared in WCWS eight times and hasn't scored as many runs as it did against Alabama.
The Lady Vols' 10 runs was the most in a WCWS game for the program as hitters set an early tone. It began in the bottom of the second inning as Katie Taylor opened up a four-run frame with a double to right-center that gave Tennessee a 2-0 lead.
Alabama tried to stop the bleeding by intentionally walking the nation's home run leader in Kiki Milloy with two outs but Zaida Puni followed it up with another double in the next at-bat.
Even after the Crimson Tide cut the Lady Vols' lead in half in third, Tennessee swelled its lead back to four off of a Jamison Brockenbrough two-run home run. Rylie West, who finished 2-for-4, homered in the fourth to add three more runs.
Defense does enough
Tennessee started its ace in right-handed pitcher Ashley Rogers.
She got off to a slow start, giving up a walk and a hit to put runners on the corners with no outs for Alabama. Rogers managed to get out of the frame unscathed and though she gave up three hits and two runs, the offensive firepower kept the Crimson Tide out of reach.
Rogers went 4.0 innings before reliever Payton Gottshall took over in the fifth and Tennessee rode her the rest of the way despite Alabama avoiding the run rule with a combined three runs in the fifth and sixth.
Both pitchers totaled a strikeout each and Rogers was given some much-needed rest ahead of a break for Tennessee.
Moving on
The road ahead doesn't get easier for Tennessee, but the path is certainly more manageable with a win in Game 1.
The Lady Vols will get Thursday off before playing against on Saturday. They'll draw the winner of defending national champion and 1-seed Oklahoma and 9-seed Stanford who are playing on Friday afternoon.
Tennessee is slated to play 3 p.m. ET Saturday on ABC.
*****
– TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM.
– ENJOY VOLREPORT WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION.
– SUBSCRIBE TO THE VOLREPORT YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
– FOLLOW VOLREPORT ON TWITTER: @TennesseeRivals, @TMansfieldMedia, @ByNoahTaylor, @RealTBannerman, @RyanTSylvia, @Dale_Dowden, @ShayneP_Media, @TylerIvens.