Lady Vols defeat UCLA softball, advance to Women's College World Series semifinals
Lady Vols defeat UCLA softball, advance to Women's College World Series semifinals
No. 7 national seed Tennessee (47-16) defeated No. 9 national seed UCLA (55-13), 5-4 in nine innings, during the 2025 Women's College World Series on Sunday at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Laura Mealer helped the Lady Vols advance to the semifinals with a walk-off single in the ninth inning after the Bruins tied the game in the seventh inning with a two-run home run by Meagan Grant.
Mealer went 2-for-5 and recorded three RBIs, while Taylor Pannell went 3-for-4. She hit a two-run home run, recorded three RBIs and scored three runs.
The Lady Vols led, 2-0, in the first inning after Mealer hit a two-run single with two outs. The Bruins tied the game in the second inning after Alexis Ramirez and Sophia Mojica each hit solo home runs.
Gabby Leach went 2-for-5, scoring one run. Ella Dodge went 1-for-4 and scored one run for the Lady Vols.
Karlyn Pickens (25-10), a two-time SEC Pitcher of the Year, pitched nine innings for Tennessee. She allowed four runs, 11 hits and four walks. Pickens recorded seven strikeouts, while totaling 148 pitches, including 91 strikes.
Tennessee will next play against Texas on Monday with first pitch slated for noon EDT. The Lady Vols won two of three games during a regular-season SEC series in Austin, Texas.
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