KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – It was a tough day on Sunday afternoon as Jacksonville State dropped back-to-back games against Appalachian State and tournament-host, Tennessee, to conclude their weekend slate.
 
The Gamecocks (10-8) struggled to find offense over the weekend, which plagued them again on Sunday in a 5-1 setback to App State and 2-0 defeat to the Lady Vols.
 
In the early contest against ASU, freshman Ashley Phillips had a 2-for-3 game at the plate picking up half of JSU's four hits. She also scored the lone run off a sixth-inning RBI single by Hannah Buffington. Sophomore Kat Carter got knocked around early for five runs through four innings. Jordan Eslinger came in to close the final three frames and allowed just one hit.
 
In the second matchup of the day, JSU showed a tougher fight, but the opponent in No. 6 Tennessee was a tall task from the open. Freshman Jaliyah Holmes shined in the circle silencing one of the hottest offenses in the country for five innings. A slice down the right field line in the sixth gave up her first run, and the Lady Vols worked their baserunners to manufacture a second run on a fake steal to second. The The Sharpsburg, Ga., product, struck out four and allowed just two hits in her 24 batters faced.
 
On the flip side, JSU couldn't crack through against UT pitching either, sending Holmes out each inning in a 0-0 deadlock. After JSU threaten with a couple of hits off sophomore Nicola Simpson, the Lady Vols turned it over to graduate pitcher Ashley Rogers for the final four innings where she struck out nine on a nasty rise ball.
 
Prior to UT's pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth, Buffington had one of the hardest hits of the day to the right field fence that came just feet shy of a go-ahead home run for the Gamecocks. She was stranded at second base later in the inning.
 
JSU returns home to host Western Michigan and Samford in next week's home tournament at University Field.