Another tough loss for Tennessee. It hurts, and it never gets any easier. Once again, the Lady Vols will leave Oklahoma City without a national championship. Karen Weekly's team had two chances to take down Texas, but they couldn’t get it done either time. In the first game, it felt like the Longhorns had the upper hand from the very beginning.
Tennessee started Erin Nuwer, and she pitched well, but Texas was timing her up, but she kept getting out of jams. Meanwhile, Tennessee never really got anything going in game one. Texas gave Tennessee countless chances in-game one, but the Lady Vols could never turn it into something. However, when Texas scored first, the Lady Vols answered, but Texas rebounded with a 3-run 5th inning that proved to be the difference.
Heading into Game Two, there was some confidence. Tennessee trotted out ace Karlynn Pickens, who pitched well, but gave up three runs in the 3rd inning, which really killed any momentum the Vols had. One run felt like a lot to come back from, but three felt impossible. Tennessee just had no positive energy after that, as Tegan Kavan, Texas' ace, was absolutely dominant with 10 strikeouts and only two hits allowed.
Tennessee softball falls short in the WCWS once again
This one really hurts for Tennessee. Both Karen Weekly and Karlyn Pickens were visibly emotional after the game, and it’s easy to understand why. Pickens has been one of the greatest pitchers in college softball over the last four years and gave everything she had to the program. Tennessee was always in the conversation and always a threat, but they never quite got over the hump. The fact that Pickens and Weekly won’t get to celebrate a national championship together is tough to see.
At the end of the day, scoring just two runs on seven hits over two games isn’t enough to reach a finals appearance. Texas didn’t exactly dominate offensively, but they came through when it mattered. Tennessee, on the other hand, just couldn’t capitalize, and that’s been the story at times this season. In Game 1 against Texas, the Vols were opportunistic, and they carried that into Saturday against Texas Tech. But today, the bats went completely quiet.
The bats didn’t do any favors for the Vols’ trio of pitchers. That has to be addressed this offseason, as it simply isn’t sustainable to win games 2–1. Eventually, the other team is going to have a big inning, even against a generational talent like Pickens. Even if Tennessee had just put balls in play in game two, they would have had a chance to be successful, but swings and misses and called third strikes kept pilingup. Yes, Kavan is a great pitcher, but the approaches at the plate didn't seem right today.
For now, we just have to be optimistic that next year’s team will get it done. It’s painful, and it’s unfortunate to keep falling short in Oklahoma City over and over again. The Lady Vols will get it done one day.
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