Tennessee softball hits walk-off home run to beat Texas Tech in Women's College World Series

Emma Clarke hit a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to send Tennessee softball to the semifinals of the Women’s College World Series after a 2-1 win over No. 11 Texas Tech on Saturday at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

The Lady Vols (49-10), the No. 7 national seed, are now off until Monday and are one win away from the three-game championship series, which is scheduled to begin Wednesday night. No. 11 Texas Tech (59-7) faces elimination on Sunday in the double-elimination format.

Clarke homered to straight away center field to start the ninth inning, after Tech rallied in the seventh to tie the game and force extra innings.

Karlyn Pickens started and pitched 6.2 innings, giving up the one run on five hits. She had six strikeouts against three walks. Sage Mardjetko pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in relief to get the win.

Tennessee freshman outfielder Taelyn Holley hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to put the Lady Vols up 1-0. Texas Tech loaded the bases with no outs to start the seventh inning and Taylor Pannell, a Tennessee transfer, scored on a sacrifice fly to tie the game, 1-1.

Pannell was initially called out, but it was overturned after replayed showed Pannell had beat the tag from Tennessee catcher Elsa Morrison. Alannah Leach made a diving catch in left field to end the inning and preserve the 1-1 tie.

The three-game championship series begins Wednesday and will be played on consecutive days, with the if-necessary third game set for Friday. All three games are scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET start on ESPN. 

Tennessee beat No. 2 Texas in a 6-3 win on Thursday. The Longhorns stayed alive by eliminating Mississippi State 4-0 Friday night in the losers bracket. Texas Tech advanced with an 8-0 run-rule win over Mississippi State in opening game of the Women’s College World Series.

How Tennessee softball got here

Tennessee upset No. 2 Texas 6-3 on Thursday to open the Women’s College World Series.

Elsa Morrison hit a three-run home run in the second inning after Alannah Leach was hit by a pitch and Makenzie Butt walked. The Lady Vols added a run on a wild pitch in the fifth and Texas scored three runs over the fifth and sixth innings to get back in the game.

Tennessee added an insurance run in the top of the seventh to get the game back to a three-run lead.

Sage Mardjetko (15-2) got the win for the Lady Vols, giving up just one hit over four innings before being replaced by Karlyn Pickens, who gave up three runs on four hits over the final three innings to pick up her seventh save of the season.

Tennessee was the first team to punch its College World Series ticket this season, after sweeping Georgia in two games in the Knoxville Super Regional. The Lady Vols advanced out of the Knoxville Regional with a win over Northern Kentucky and two wins over Virginia last week.

Tennessee in Women’s College World Series for third time in four years

This season marks the third trip to the College World Series in the last four years for Tennessee.

The Lady Vols went 2-2 in the College World Series last year, losing to Oklahoma in the opener before wins over Florida and UCLA to stay alive in the double-elimination format. The Lady Vols were eliminated in a 2-0 loss to Texas.

The 2023 College World Series started with a win over Alabama, then a loss to Oklahoma. Tennessee stayed alive with a win over Oklahoma State, then saw its season end in a loss to Florida State.

The Lady Vols have finished as the runner up in the College World Series twice, losing in two games in the championship series to Oklahoma in 2013 and three games to Arizona in 2007.