Tennessee softball overcame a highly questionable call to knock off UCLA 5-4 in nine innings at the Women’s College World Series on Sunday night. Laura Mealer played hero, walking the Bruins off with a bases loaded RBI single to left field.
Despite all ending well, the Lady Vols were an out away from knocking off UCLA in seven innings. That’s when disaster and an incompetent ruling stopped Tennessee in its tracks.
With Tennessee leading 4-2 in the top of the seventh inning, Jordan Woolery kept UCLA alive with a two-out single. Then Megan Grant tied the game with a two-run home run. Only, she didn’t touch home plate. In the celebration Alexis Ramirez grabbed Grant and assisted her back to home plate.
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The umpires enacted a review and looked at it for 13 minutes before ruling that Woolery didn’t touch home plate, but was assisted to touch home. The umpires stated that while you can review whether a player touches home plate, you can not review whether they were assisted to touch home plate.
“After review, the calling on the field is upheld and the run will score,” the crew chief said. “The runner did miss home plate and was assisted. However, that play is not reviewable according to Appendix G.”
Oh my goodness, this Softball College World Series game.
UCLA runner didn’t tough home plate off HR against Tennessee, a teammate helped her back to touch plate.
She did not touch, but umpire says it’s not reviewable because wasn’t seen Live
WOW pic.twitter.com/ibXz8QQTQp
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) June 1, 2025
Appendix G is a section of the NCAA rulebook that pertains to reviewable plays.
Two outs in the seventh inning has been a precarious time for Tennessee softball during the Women’s College World Series. Oklahoma’s Ella Parker hit a three-run walk-off home run with two-outs in the seventh inning of the Lady Vols’ opening game in Oklahoma City.
Head coach Karen Weekly’s squad responded in extremely impressive fashion by run-ruling Florida 11-3 in five inning on Friday to eliminate them from the Women’s College World Series.
With the win over UCLA, Tennessee advances to the Women’s College World Series semifinals where they’ll have to defeat Texas twice to advance to the WCWS Final Series.
