To get the season started, No. 2 Tennessee softball made the trip to Texas to compete in four games.

First, the Lady Vols squared off with UT Arlington before traveling to Waco to take on No. 19 Baylor.

Here's a recap of the successful trip to the Lone Star State.

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Tennessee's first opponent of the season would be UT Arlington. The Lady Vols didn't have much trouble in the road match, though.

Instead, Tennessee got out to a fast start while putting up nine runs in the first three innings. Ultimately, a six-run fifth inning was the final blow before the run rule went into effect.

Payton Gottshall got the start in the circle and shut down the Mavericks' bats. She pitched 4.0 innings and gave up two hits and no runs while striking out seven.

The best day at the plate came from transfer catcher Sophia Nugent who was slotted as the cleanup hitter. She would go 2-for-4 with four RBI and a run due to a home run and double.

Tennessee then turned its attention to a top-20 Baylor squad. In a doubleheader due to weather that would prove to be all the teams could fit in on the weekend, there were instant dramatics.

In game one, the Bears took a 2-0 lead and silenced the Lady Vols' bats. However, a run in the sixth inning gave Tennessee a chance down the stretch.

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Down to their final out, the Lady Vols got heroics from Destiny Rodreiguez who lifted her first career home run over the outfield wall to score two and take the lead. The swing came with one out remaining and set up Karlyn Pickens to wrap things up for her fifth inning of work to secure the win.

The second game of the night swung heavily in the favor of Tennessee. With Charli Orsini getting the start and Gottshall hurling the final 4.1 innings, Baylor scored just a single run.

On offense, the Lady Vols exploded for a five-run sixth inning that left no doubt and ensured the series win.

Leading the way was Rylie West who went 2-for-2 at the plate with two hits, two walks, two runs and an RBI. She smacked a home run and double during the game to reach these marks.

Tennessee and Baylor weren't able to complete the three-game series after the doubleheader on Friday. Saturday's game was canceled due to weather and will not be rescheduled.

— Feb. 14 (Wed): at Kennesaw State

— Feb. 16 (Fri): Stanford (Clearwater, Fla.)

— Feb. 16 (Fri): Texas (Clearwater, Fla.)

— Feb. 17 (Sat): Georgia Tech (Clearwater, Fla.)

— Feb. 17 (Sat): UCLA (Clearwater, Fla.)

— Feb. 18 (Sun): Florida State (Clearwater, Fla.)

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