Redshirt junior pitcher Samantha Bender etched her name into the history of Tennessee’s softball program Sunday afternoon.
Bender threw a no-hitter in the No. 23 Lady Vols’ 8-0 five-inning victory over Northern Kentucky at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
It was Tennessee’s first solo no-hitter since 2016 and Bender’s first victory of the 2021 season.
The Norse (0-4) only had one player reach base as Bender hit Northern Kentucky’s Jenna O’Hair.
Bender pitched five innings and recorded two strikeouts.
Congratulations to @SammieBender on the โ๐ -โ๐ !!!
It marks the program's first solo no-hitter since 2016!๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ#DareGreatly pic.twitter.com/DTbAgvw9Am
— Tennessee Softball (@Vol_Softball) February 28, 2021
Offensively, Amanda Ayala had a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning. She would also score on a wild pitch in the third after Rylie West had an RBI groundout in the frame.
Ivy Davis capped the five-run third with a three-run homer to make the score 6-0.
Madison Webber ended things with a two-run double in the bottom of the fifth.
The win over the Norse was the second shutout for the UT pitching staff.
Tennessee (12-1) opened the day with a 3-0 win over Central Michigan.
In that contest, Ashley Rogers gave up two hits over seven innings and fanned 18 Chippewas (1-2).
At the plate, West and Kaitlin Parsons had RBI singles in the bottom of the second and Cailin Hannon doubled and stole home in the sixth. That was one of six stolen bases in the contest for Tennessee.
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