After nearly a full calendar year away from the diamond, the University of Tennessee softball team made a triumphant return Sunday afternoon.
The Lady Vols saw their first action in 342 days after last season was prematurely ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic last March.
They also had to wait a little longer to get the 2021 campaign underway as their season-opening tournament was rained out Friday in Conway, South Carolina.
UT’s coaching staff scheduled a double-header Sunday against Eastern Kentucky. Tennessee swept the twin bill against the Colonels, 10-0 and 3-2, at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
The day marked Tennessee’s first-ever season-opener at home.
In the opener Sunday afternoon, the Lady Vols ended things early as they run-ruled Eastern Kentucky, 10-0.
In that game, the Lady Vols clubbed four home runs as Kiki Milloy, Ally Shipman, Ashley Morgan and Ivy Davis all went deep for Tennessee, which scored two runs in the bottom of the second inning and added eight more during the third frame.
In the circle, Ashley Rogers, who missed the abbreviated 2020 campaign due to injury, returned and was impressive as she hurled a complete game and surrendered one hit and two walks, while matching a career-high with 13 strikeouts.
In the second game, Shipman homered for the Big Orange (2-0), which nabbed a comeback win with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Bailey McCachren started and went five innings and capturing a victory in the circle. She went five innings and surrendered two runs, two hits and two walks. She fanned three EKU hitters before giving way to Rogers, who tossed a pair of scoreless innings in relief. She struck out five in her second appearance of the day.
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