Tennessee softball has once again come just short of reaching the national championship series. For the second-straight year, the Lady Vols reached the Women’s College World Series semifinals, but lost to Texas to end its season.
This time, Tennessee was in the driver’s seat. The Lady Vols needed one win in two tries, but dropped both matchups. The first game was a 5-2 loss, while the second was 4-0.
Below is what you need to know from the second and season-ending loss. Click here for the game one recap.
Texas’ Bats Get Hot in the Third
In the first inning, Karlyn Pickens looked untouchable. She struck out the side and cruised into the second. After recording two outs, Pickens walked a pair in the second, but rebounded to get out of the frame.
Things came crumbling down in the third inning, though. Jaycie Nichols opened the inning with an infield single to flip the order back to the top. That made way for a Kayden Henry bunt single to put two on with no outs. After Pickens dealt with superstar Katie Stewart, Viviana Martinez singled to score Nichols.
Tennessee couldn’t stop the bleeding, though. Instead, with runners on the corners, UT threw down on a steal of second, and after the throw was slightly mishandled, Henry stole home to add another run. Then, Reese Atwood ripped a double to add a third to the board.
That would be all Texas scored in the inning, but it was a gut-punch for the Lady Vols, who hadn’t put a runner on base through three offensive innings at that point.
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Tennessee’s Bats Fall Silent
It was a bad day for the Tennessee offense to fall flat. The biggest concern for the Lady Vols heading into the NCAA Tournament was exactly that, though. So many years, UT has had the best pitching staff in the country, but the offense stalls. Tennessee avoided that narrative until the WCWS semifinals.
After not having much success in the first game, the Lady Vols were completely silenced in the winner-take-all match that followed. Teagan Kavan, after only pitching the final out of the game before, came in fresh and dominated.
Kavan’s final line sat at seven innings pitched, two allowed hits, no runs, no walks and 10 strikeouts.
That Marks the End of Karlyn Pickens’ Sensational Career
That’ll do it for one of the best softball careers in recent history. Tennessee pitcher Karlyn Pickens spent all four years in Knoxville and became an absolute star. After being named the SEC Freshman of the Year, she followed it up with a pair of SEC Pitcher of the Year and three-straight First-Team All-American nods.
On top of the jaw-dropping production and almost countless wins she racked up, Pickens also made national headlines with the velocity she is capable of. She holds the record for the fastest softball pitch at 79.4 miles per hour.
In her final game, Pickens finished with a line of six innings pitched, four earned runs, seven hits, three walks and six strikeouts. While that’s short of the high expectations she’s set for herself, it could have potentially been effective enough if the offense carried its weight. Now, conversations begin about a potential jersey retirement for the star pitcher.
Final Stats
Up Next
Tennessee now turns to the offseason, looking to figure out a way to finally get over the hump and field a national championship team. The Lady Vols’ key departure from eligibility will be Karlyn Pickens. However, Sage Mardjetko and Erin Nuwer both can return along with the entire batting order.
While transfers can throw a wrench in things, Tennessee can also continue to use that route to upgrade at spots. There’s certainly an early expectation that this team could be back in the WCWS next year with a chance to go all the way.
