Tennessee softball loses to Alabama in longest game in NCAA super regional history to force third game
Every play of the second game of the NCAA super regional was a grind.
Neither Tennessee softball or Alabama could gain any momentum and went to 14 innings before the Tide broke through the stalemate. Both coaches exhausted their challenges. Both teams scrapped for every out. The Lady Vols couldn't capitalize with runners in scoring position, and it cost them.
No. 3 seed Tennessee (44-11) lost to No. 14 seed Alabama 3-2 in the second game of the NCAA super regional Saturday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. Tennessee will face Alabama in the best-of-three series finale Sunday (4 p.m., ESPN) to decide who moves on to the Women's College World Series.
The loss was the longest game in program history for the Lady Vols. The previous record was when Tennessee went 13 innings against Mississippi State in the 2022 SEC Tournament. Saturday's game was also the longest super regional game in NCAA history by innings and time with the game lasting nearly five hours.
Sophia Nugent's solo home run put Tennessee up 2-1 in the fourth before Alabama responded in the bottom of the inning to tie it up 2-2. Neither team scored for 10 innings after that.
Kiki Milloy was the only Tennessee player with multiple hits. She went 3-for-5 with two walks and a stolen base, but Tennessee couldn't get its career runs leader across the plate.
Tennessee leaves too many runners stranded in key moments
The Lady Vols got going offensively early, but they left too many runners stranded. Failing to capitalize on runners in scoring position on three big opportunities came back to haunt them. Tennessee ended with 11 hits and only two runs to show for it.
After Tennessee tied the game 1-1, Milloy was up to bat with the bases loaded. The senior center fielder popped up to second base. In the fifth inning, after Alabama tied the game 2-2, Tennessee had runners on the corners with two outs. But Zaida Puni struck out swinging,.
Tennessee left the bases loaded once again in the 14th inning. After Puni hit a single, Alabama hit two batters to load the bases. But Giulia Koutsoyanopulos' hit was fielded easily and Alabama got out of the inning.
Tennessee left 18 runners on base and went 3-for-25 with runners on and 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
Alabama pitcher Kayla Beaver (18-9) allowed six hits in 10 scoreless innings of relief.
Karlyn Pickens battles to give Tennessee a chance in extra innings
Tennessee used both its star pitchers again, but this time Payton Gottshall got the start.
Gottshall went 3⅔ innings before Karlyn Pickens (22-7) relieved her. Alabama got runners on base early in the first inning, one off a single and one off an error, and it resulted in an early 1-0 lead for the Tide.
Gottshall kept Alabama scoreless until the fourth inning when she gave up a solo shot to left field by Bailey Dowling, which tied the game at 2-2. She finished with three strikeouts, four hits allowed and one earned run.
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Pickens helped force extra innings, holding the Tide scoreless in regulation. She gave Tennessee a chance to score time and time again, ending the ninth with a strikeout and going three up, three down the next two innings. Pickens finished with 10 strikeouts, five hits allowed, three walks and three hit by pitch in 9⅓ innings.
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @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: Tennessee softball loses 14-inning battle with Alabama in NCAA super regional
