Why Karen Weekly says she pulled Karlyn Pickens after first inning of Tennessee softball vs Texas
Junior pitcher Karlyn Pickens started Tennessee softball's matchup with No. 1 Texas on April 11, but she threw only one inning before she was pulled from the game.
Pickens (15-4) struck out two and walked one walk. She didn't return to the circle with the game still 0-0 in the bottom of the second inning.
Freshman pitcher Erin Nuwer entered the game instead. When Tennessee coach Karen Weekly was asked about Pickens' status during her interview between the third and fourth inning, Weekly said Pickens was fine and it was part of the game plan.
"There's nothing wrong with Karlyn, she's great," Weekly said with an upbeat tone. "Just something that we've kind of thought about doing, kind of see how the game is flowing, and I kind of stuck with my game plan going in."
Going into Friday's matchup, Pickens ranked No. 4 in the nation with a 0.94 ERA, No. 5 in hits allowed per seven innings (3.75) and No. 10 in strikeouts (153).
Pickens is having an unprecedented junior season after winning SEC Pitcher of the Year as a sophomore. She threw the fastest pitch ever recorded at 78 mph against Arkansas on March 25, besting her previous fastest pitch of 77 mph that tied Monica Abbott's record.
PICKENS: Lady Vols softball pitcher Karlyn Pickens proving last season was no fluke. Just ask Duke
Nuwer gave up a single before forcing three ground outs to end the second inning. But in the third inning, Texas' offense started getting hot.
Nuwer struck out the first hitter, but the Longhorns got on base the next at-bat by getting hit by a pitch. Then they hit a double and scored two runs on the following single. Texas took a 3-0 lead by the end of the third inning with another RBI-single.
Nuwer was relieved in the fourth inning by freshman pitcher Peyton Tanner, who had only thrown 20⅔ innings this season going into the matchup. Nuwer finished the night with five hits allowed in two innings and three earned runs.
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.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Karen Weekly pulled Karlyn Pickens after first inning of Tennessee softball vs Texas
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