KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee pitcher Payton Gottshall was too much for the LSU softball team Friday night, allowing two hits in 6.1 innings as the Lady Vols claimed the series opener with a 3-0 win.
It was the fifth loss in the past seven Southeastern Conference games for the No. 7-ranked Tigers (34-9, 10-9), who had dropped two of three games at home to Auburn last weekend and two of three at Florida the weekend before.
On Friday night, Gottshall led the way for No. 4 Tennessee (33-7, 13-3), which stands alone atop the SEC. Gottshall (16-3) struck out three and walked none in 78 pitches before giving way to Karlyn Pickens, who got the final two outs for her first save of the season.
The Lady Vols lowered their nation-leading team ERA to 1.41.
Sydney Berzon (15-5) took the loss for LSU, allowing three unearned runs on three hits in six innings. She had four strikeouts and one walk.
The game opened with three scoreless innings before Tennessee scored all three runs in the fourth, thanks to three hits and two LSU errors.
The Tigers didn't get a hit until the top of the seventh inning, when Ciara Briggs and Ali Newland hit back-to-back singles, bringing the tying run to the plate with one out. But Pickens struck out the two batters she faced to seal the series-opening win.
The teams play again at 11 a.m. Saturday, then close the series at 1 p.m. Sunday.