Softball’s Trip to Birmingham Ends in Defeat Against No. 1 Tennessee

Sunday, February 22

Birmingham, AL

2 PM

Southern Illinois University

8-5

Tennessee

14-0

Tennessee

Southern Illinois

Kiana McDowell (Left), Amanda Knutson (Middle), Hayden Kurtz (Right)

Softball’s Trip to Birmingham Ends in Defeat Against No. 1 Tennessee

02/22/2026 | 5:58:00 | Softball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Dominic Hoscher, SIUSalukis.com

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - On Sunday, the Southern Illinois University softball team (8-7) dropped its final game at the UAB Green and Gold Classic, 9-0 (5), to No. 1 Tennessee.

Tennessee scored nine runs on nine hits with no errors, while Southern Illinois did not record a hit and had five errors in five innings.

The top-ranked Lady Vols scored two runs in both of the opening two innings to take a 4-0 lead into the third.

Southern Illinois' lone baserunner of the game was Erin Lee, who reached on a one-out walk in the second inning.

In the fourth inning, Tennessee added on five more runs after the Salukis committed three errors. Two of the Lady Vols' five runs came on a two-out double, extending the lead to 9-0.

The game finished in a run-rule as Southern Illinois was unable to score in the bottom of the fourth or fifth innings, leading to the 9-0 defeat.

Kiana McDowell got the start and went four innings before being replaced by Emily Delgado, who threw a scoreless fifth frame.

Up Next
Southern Illinois will play its final non-conference tournament of the season next weekend at the Lipscomb Purple and Gold Challenge in Nashville, Tenn. SIU's first game will be on Friday, Feb. 27, against Western Carolina at 10 a.m.

Follow the Salukis
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Salukis by following the team on Twitter at @SIU_Softball, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SalukiSoftball and on Instagram at @SIU_Softball. Fans can also download the "Salukis" Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play Store.