Just six games were on tap for the first day of play at the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational on Thursday.
Notre Dame and Tennessee were selected as the opening act for the made-for-television tournament; both the Irish and the Lady Vols also later played other opponents to cap off the day. Only a portion of the 16-team field played on Thursday – Texas Tech, Wisconsin, Florida State, UCF, Auburn, and Clemson were the other teams in action.
If the opening game’s first inning was any indication, this could be a very interesting week for teams in Clearwater. Notre Dame scored two runs in the top of the first off of Tennessee ace Ashley Rogers, and the Lady Vols’ response was a measly five runs in the bottom half of the frame.
Rogers only lasted two innings before giving way to former Texas Tech transfer Erin Edmoundson; a Tennessee spokesperson later confirmed to Extra Inning Softball that Rogers was dealing with a “medical issue” and will not pitch for the remainder of the weekend’s games.
The Lady Vols went on to beat the Fighting Irish with an 11-3 final score, walking off in the bottom of the sixth inning on a 2-run single by Amanda Ayala that got the Lady Vols into double digits in scoring and sealed the victory. Edmoundson, for her part, turned in four innings of no-hit ball, with three strikeouts; one walk; and two hit batters.
Later on Thursday, in their first game following the determination on Rogers’ health status, the Lady Vols took on Florida State and dropped a 9-3 decision to the Seminoles.
If anyone doubted Kayla Konwent‘s impact on the Wisconsin offense, look no further than Thursday’s opener as proof to the contrary. After returning to the Badgers’ roster in January after spending the 2021 season away from the diamond, Konwent hit her stride and looked to be back to her old self against UCF on Thursday. She piloted a 9-run onslaught against a quality Knights team and helped her team secure a run-rule win to open their stay in Clearwater.
