Tennessee
Karlyn Pickens stifles Ohio State offense in Tennessee softball’s win to advance to regional final
The top-scoring offense in the nation was no match for Karlyn Pickens.
The SEC Pitcher of the Year set the tone from the start of the NCAA regional matchup with Ohio State, striking out the first two hitters of the game. Pickens held back the Buckeyes’ sluggers, striking out 10 to lead No. 7 seed Tennessee softball to a 4-2 win at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium on May 17.
Pickens (22-8) was dominant until Ohio State (44-13-1) made a late push in the sixth inning, stringing together three hits to score two runs, although the second was due to an error from Sophia Nugent. Pickens only gave up five hits total and walked two with one earned run.
The Lady Vols (42-14) will face the winner of the loser’s bracket final in the regional final on May 18.
Tennessee’s offense wasn’t as explosive as the 17-0 run-rule win over Miami (Ohio) on May 16, but it executed when it needed to in order to bring the runs home.
The Lady Vols got leadoff hitters on base in the first five innings, and they built and early lead with smart, aggressive base running. Kinsey Fiedler, who started the game with a double, and Laura Mealer scored in the first and fourth innings to give Tennessee a 2-0 lead.
Mealer got involved again in the fifth inning when Tennessee scored two more runs. Saviya Morgan and Taylor Pannell got on base with bunts to start the inning, and Nugent got Morgan home with a sacrifice fly. Mealer then singled up the middle, scoring Pannell.
Fiedler led the Lady Vols, going 2-for-4 with one run scored. Tennessee logged nine hits, but it left eight runners on base.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.