How Lady Vols softball bounced back from a shutout loss to take series vs LSU

Tennessee softball entered Sunday's game against LSU without losing a series this season. 

Tennessee held up its part in the three-game series.

The No. 4 Lady Vols (34-8, 14-4 SEC) beat No. 7 LSU 3-0 on Friday; lost 1-0 on Saturday; and won 3-0 on Sunday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.

Here are the takeaways from the series:

How Lady Vols bounced back from shutout loss 

LSU (34-10, 10-10) won the pitching duel on Saturday despite Tennessee sophomore Karlyn Pickens striking out three and allowing three hits. The Lady Vols mustered five hits but were shut out for the second time this season. The last time they were held scoreless was a 1-0 loss to Stanford on Feb. 16. 

The first five innings of Sunday’s contest were identical to the previous game as neither team scored. That changed in Giulia Koutsoyanopulos’ at-bat in the sixth inning for Tennessee. 

With two outs and a 3-2 count, the senior first baseman drilled a ball to right field for a two-run double. Gabby Leach followed with an RBI-single to give the Lady Vols a 3-0 lead. 

“I love this team,” Koutsoyanopulos said. “We just work, we just grind and we get through it.”

Lady Vols coach Karen Weekly said the biggest difference between Sunday’s win and Saturday's loss was the improved emphasis on team-focused at-bats. 

“When you go up there feeling like it's on your shoulders and you're trying to do too much, it's a lonely way to play and it’s a really exhausting way to play,” Weekly said. 

How does Kiki Milloy look in second series since her injury

Kiki Milloy played her second consecutive SEC series since the ankle injury that caused her to miss the series against Georgia from April 5-7.  

The graduate student had two hits and one RBI against LSU. Last week against Mississippi State, Milloy had three hits and didn't drive in a run. Weekly said that she is encouraged by Milloy’s ability to impact winning even without strong at-bats. 

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“It’s tough for somebody like Kiki who they’re gunning for, they have a game plan for, they're gonna pitch a little different with the year she had last year,” Weekly said. “I'm just really proud of her because the one thing Kiki knows this team needs day in and day out is her leadership. And I probably never seen somebody better at putting her own individual performance aside, and focusing on being the best leader she can be for the team.”

Milloy’s lone hit Sunday was a bunt that Weekly did not signal her to do.  

“I love the bunt,” Weekly said. “She’s not about herself in terms of trying to hit a home run every time. She’s just looking for a way to get a spark going.”

Toyloy Brown III is a Knox News sports reporter. Email toyloy.brown@knoxnews.com. On X, formerly Twitter, @TJ3rd_.