- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,170,585
- Reaction score
- 59
Tennessee's Saviya Morgan was mere feet away from her goal in the second inning, but her eyes were glued to the South Carolina infielder with the ball in her hands.
Morgan paused as the ball was thrown to home plate. She started shuffling back down the third base line as the catcher gave chase at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, where the No. 7 Lady Vols were looking to steal the SEC series on April 4.
Morgan baited the catcher, but she was close enough to third to slide in and avoid the tag from the third baseman. The rundown then shifted to Maddi Rutan, which gave Morgan the distraction she was waiting for. The sophomore outfielder bolted back down the third base line and scored before the Gamecocks finally tagged Rutan out at third.
It was a stellar offensive inning for Morgan, who had laid down the bunt to get designated player Meredith Barnhart from first to third, setting up the first run. Tennessee scored three runs in the inning, and the early lead set the tone for the 4-2 win over No. 25 South Carolina in the rubber match.
"The energy when (Barnhart) scored, like she was really fired up. And I thought that was just contagious tonight," Tennessee coach Karen Weekly said. "I thought we competed all night, whether we got a hit or smoked a ball or popped it up, we were competing every pitch."
But Barnhart's run doesn't happen without Morgan, who Weekly called a dynamic baserunner. When Tennessee has used Morgan as a pinch runner this season, Weekly said she always wants to save her for the most important run at the end.
"She's got such great instincts to go along with her speed, and she just knows how to make things happen," Weekly said. "That was a ground ball go play, and she executed it perfectly."
Morgan stepped into the lineup for Game 3 with starting center fielder Sophia Knight out due to illness, and Morgan delivered to help lead the Lady Vols (32-6, 9-6) to a much-needed series win over the Gamecocks (24-16, 3-9) after losing the past two series to Florida and Ole Miss.
Weekly was proud of Morgan for how she has handled a "tough role" this season after starting 59 games as a freshman, when she hit .340 with 48 runs scored, 14 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. She had even earned her way into the leadoff spot over a senior for the first half of the season.
But Morgan has been "an incredible teammate" this year, Weekly said, and her work ethic hasn't wavered, ensuring she was ready when her name was called.
KARLYN PICKENS: Tennessee softball ace Karlyn Pickens receives AUSL golden ticket from Jennie Finch
Morgan went 1-for-3 with one run scored in the Game 3 win. She is hitting .313, with a .450 on-base percentage in 16 at-bats. She has scored eight runs with three walks drawn and three RBIs.
"When she gets her opportunities, she's making the most of them," Weekly said. "She's not putting too much pressure on herself. She's just playing and she's a gamer, and we needed her big, and she stepped up big tonight."
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Saviya Morgan was key in Tennessee softball Game 3 win vs South Carolina
Continue reading...
Morgan paused as the ball was thrown to home plate. She started shuffling back down the third base line as the catcher gave chase at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, where the No. 7 Lady Vols were looking to steal the SEC series on April 4.
Morgan baited the catcher, but she was close enough to third to slide in and avoid the tag from the third baseman. The rundown then shifted to Maddi Rutan, which gave Morgan the distraction she was waiting for. The sophomore outfielder bolted back down the third base line and scored before the Gamecocks finally tagged Rutan out at third.
It was a stellar offensive inning for Morgan, who had laid down the bunt to get designated player Meredith Barnhart from first to third, setting up the first run. Tennessee scored three runs in the inning, and the early lead set the tone for the 4-2 win over No. 25 South Carolina in the rubber match.
"The energy when (Barnhart) scored, like she was really fired up. And I thought that was just contagious tonight," Tennessee coach Karen Weekly said. "I thought we competed all night, whether we got a hit or smoked a ball or popped it up, we were competing every pitch."
But Barnhart's run doesn't happen without Morgan, who Weekly called a dynamic baserunner. When Tennessee has used Morgan as a pinch runner this season, Weekly said she always wants to save her for the most important run at the end.
"She's got such great instincts to go along with her speed, and she just knows how to make things happen," Weekly said. "That was a ground ball go play, and she executed it perfectly."
Morgan stepped into the lineup for Game 3 with starting center fielder Sophia Knight out due to illness, and Morgan delivered to help lead the Lady Vols (32-6, 9-6) to a much-needed series win over the Gamecocks (24-16, 3-9) after losing the past two series to Florida and Ole Miss.
Weekly was proud of Morgan for how she has handled a "tough role" this season after starting 59 games as a freshman, when she hit .340 with 48 runs scored, 14 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. She had even earned her way into the leadoff spot over a senior for the first half of the season.
But Morgan has been "an incredible teammate" this year, Weekly said, and her work ethic hasn't wavered, ensuring she was ready when her name was called.
KARLYN PICKENS: Tennessee softball ace Karlyn Pickens receives AUSL golden ticket from Jennie Finch
Morgan went 1-for-3 with one run scored in the Game 3 win. She is hitting .313, with a .450 on-base percentage in 16 at-bats. She has scored eight runs with three walks drawn and three RBIs.
"When she gets her opportunities, she's making the most of them," Weekly said. "She's not putting too much pressure on herself. She's just playing and she's a gamer, and we needed her big, and she stepped up big tonight."
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Saviya Morgan was key in Tennessee softball Game 3 win vs South Carolina
Continue reading...
