Tennessee softball has another critical Women’s College World Series matchup awaiting. The No. 7 Lady Vols will play No. 11 Texas Tech in the winner’s bracket of the WCWS on Saturday.
The winner of the game will have two chances to win one game and advance to the finals series. The loser will need to rattle off three straight wins.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the game.
How To Watch: No. 7 Tennessee softball (48-10, 16-8 SEC) vs. No. 11 Texas Tech (58-7, 21-3 SEC)
- First pitch: 3 p.m. ET
- TV: ABC
- Broadcasters: Beth Mowins (PxP), Michele Smith (Analyst), Jessica Mendoza (Analyst) and Holly Rowe (Sideline)
Projected Starting Lineups
Most recent batting order used by both teams
Tennessee:
CF Sophia Knight
3B Ella Dodge
2B Emma Clarke
DP Alannah Leach
1B Makenzie Butt
C Elsa Morrison
RF Gabby Leach
SS Bella Faw
LF Taelyn Holley
Texas Tech:
2B Mia Williams
1B Jackie Lis
DP/C Jasmyn Burns
3B Taylor Pannell
LF/P Kaitlyn Terry
CF Mihyia Davis
RF Lauren Allred
P Nijaree Canady
C Lagi Quiroga
SS Hailey Toney
More From RTI: The Critical Mistake Texas Softball Made in Loss to Tennessee in WCWS Opener
Top Pitchers
Tennessee:
Karlyn Pickens – 1.60 ERA, 15-7 (32 app, 15 gs)
Sage Mardjetko – 1.08 ERA, 15-2 (29 app, 21 gs)
Erin Nuwer – 0.99 ERA, 15-1 (26 app, 17 gs)
Texas Tech:
NiJaree Canady – 1.74 ERA, 26-6 (40 app, 28 gs)
Kaitlyn Terry – 1.67 ERA, 24-1 (35 app, 25 gs)
Samantha Lincon – 3.43 ERA, 7-0 (24 app, 12 gs)
What Tennessee HC Karen Weekly Said About Texas Tech
“I mean, just a super talented team. Again, a team that can go deep in pitching. Haven’t had to rely on one arm, just like we haven’t had to. A stacked lineup. Up and down all the way through, one through nine. Yeah, I mean, they’ve got everything you would want from a talent perspective.”
Prediction
Texas Tech has proven to have one of the top offenses in the country this season. Essentially, all the way down the lineup, the Red Raiders have the ability to do serious damage and rough up any pitcher in the country.
To counter that, Tennessee has the best pitching staff in the country. We saw Sage Mardjetko dazzle through four innings before Karlyn Pickens did enough to hold onto the lead for the final three against Texas. It’ll be interesting to see what combination Karen Weekly goes with this time, but we’ll likely see multiple pitchers throw again.
It’s probably unrealistic to expect Tennessee’s pitchers to keep Texas Tech quiet for the whole game, though, no matter how well UT’s pitchers have performed. While the Red Raiders do have some strong pitching of their own, as well, the Lady Vols’ hitting has ramped up as the NCAA Tournament rages on.
I think the result will be a game that sees the teams trade blows, but Tennessee will have enough offense to take a late lead, and the pitching will shut things down and secure the win.
Tennessee 5, Texas Tech 4
