Ashley Rogers didn't start Friday night's game for Tennessee in the NCAA softball tournament's Knoxville Regional against Campbell, but she sure did finish it.
The former Meigs County standout entered during the fourth inning and racked up six strikeouts in three hitless innings as the Lady Volunteers cruised to a 9-1 run-rule victory. Rogers improved to 11-5 this season after picking up the win and lowered her earned run average to 2.05.
"I just wanted to go out there and throw one pitch at a time and not do too much," Rogers said afterward in a news conference. "I wanted to get outs for my team so they could go back in and get more hits."
Erin Edmoundson got the start for the Lady Vols and worked a 1-2-3 first inning, but a Kayla Fredenhall home run to center field opened the second to give Campbell a 1-0 lead. That advantage would be short-lived, however, as Tennessee scored four runs later in the second on the strength of Zaida Puni's single to center that scored Rylie West, Kiki Milloy and Lair Beautae.
The Lady Vols were cruising 5-1 in the fifth inning when they produced a three-run outburst, with a Milloy single to left scoring Anna Fox and Amanda Ayala.
"It's good to get off to a good start," Lady Vols coach Karen Weekly said, "and it's obviously important to stay in the winners bracket in the postseason."
Tennessee, the No. 11 seed in NCAA play, improved to 40-16 with the win against Campbell (37-18) and will face Oregon State (34-19) at noon Saturday. Oregon State won 4-3 against Ohio State (35-16) in the opening game of the Knoxville Regional.
Vols clinch series
Top-ranked Tennessee defeated Mississippi State again Friday night, but it was nothing like Thursday's 27-2 trampling in which the Vols recorded their most lopsided Southeastern Conference baseball win ever while handing the Bulldogs their largest defeat in program history.
The Bulldogs took a 3-1 lead Friday on Kellum Clark's two-run double in the seventh inning, but the Vols would score three runs in a five-pitch span in the eighth to win 4-3 and improve to 48-7 overall and 24-5 in league play. Luc Lipcius doubled to left-center to keep Tennessee alive with two out in the eighth, and then Jordan Beck followed with an RBI single to left and Drew Gilbert a two-run homer to left.
"The at-bats were kind of hot and cold for us all night long," Vols coach Tony Vitello said afterward. "It's inevitable when you play this game that people are going to want to talk about the night before, but the bottom line is that every day is mutually exclusive.
"Last night was not reality. Tonight was reality in the SEC."
Mississippi State, the reigning national champion, dropped to 26-29 overall, 9-20 within the SEC and will miss out on next week's conference tournament in Hoover, Alabama..
Jefferson signs
Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes added to his 2022 signing class Friday by landing four-star guard D.J. Jefferson of Minnesota Prep Academy in St. Paul. The 6-foot-5, 190-pounder is the nation's No. 116 prospect according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings.
Jefferson signed with Tulsa last November before averaging 16.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists at Minnesota Prep, and he was released from his national letter of intent several weeks ago following Frank Haith's resignation.
"D.J. is a lot of fun to be around," Barnes said in a release. "He's got an engaging personality and infectious positive energy. That energy really translates to the basketball court. He's an exciting player in transition who loves getting out in the open court. D.J. is also a high-level defender with big shoulders and a long wingspan.
"I think Tennessee fans will love getting to know him and watching him compete."
Jefferson is the fourth newcomer to Tennessee's program, joining four-star guard B.J. Edwards and five-star forward Julian Phillips from the high school ranks and graduate transfer guard Tyreke Key from Indiana State.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.