That’s one! The Lady Vols came out and dominated today, handing Texas a loss and making them the first defending champion to lose its opening game at the Women’s College World Series since 2018. Karen Weekly made a gutsy call starting Sage Mardjetko, and it paid off perfectly as she delivered a dominant performance in the circle.
Even Mike White didn’t expect it. Before the game, he told Holly Rowe he was surprised they didn’t go with Karlyn Pickens. But the decision worked perfectly, as Texas had no answers for Sage Mardjetko, who threw 4.0 innings, allowed just one hit, and it could've even been ruled an error.
Plus, on a day when Karlyn Pickens didn’t have her best stuff, Tennessee still picked up a win. She went the final three innings, giving up two earned runs and only striking out two batters. It wasn't a bad performance, but it wasn't as dominant as dominant and she normally is. Pickens now needs to shake off the rust, because she will probably start against Texas Tech on Saturday night.
Dominant pitching and clutch hits
The Lady Vols haven’t lost a game when they score more than four runs. The pitching staff is No. 1 in the country in pretty much every stat, so once the bats get going, they’re basically impossible to beat. Tennessee freshman catcher Elsa Morrison was the star at the plate today. She went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, including a three-run home run in the top of the second inning to set the tone.
Tennessee went 1-2-3 in the first, getting retired on just five pitches, and it felt like it might be one of those games where it was going to be a grind. But in the second, Alannah Leach was hit by a pitch, and Makenzie Butt drew a walk. Then Morrison came up and hit one that was gone as soon as it left the bat. When Tennessee capitalizes on chances like that, they’re one of the best teams in the nation. Not to mention, Morrison hit a double, and then Zoie Schuler scored, who pinch ran for her.
Karen Weekly deserves a lot of credit as well. She won her challenge on an Ella Dodge play at third, pinch-ran for Morrison, which led directly to another run, and most importantly, she threw Texas off by not starting Karlyn Pickens. Huge night for Coach Weekly.
Now it’s back to the drawing board, as Tennessee has a big matchup against Texas Tech, who run-ruled Mississippi State 8-0 in five innings prior to the Tennessee game.
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