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No. 10 Tennessee does it again, takes series at No. 1 Texas

Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 7.46.34 PMby:Brady Vernon•04/13/25•

BradyVernon

Screenshot 2025-04-13 at 1.48.06 PM
Courtesy of Ryan Beatty/Tennessee Athletics

Tennessee softball did it again. The 10th-ranked Lady Vols went on the road and took a marquee road series against No. 1 Texas. Karlyn Pickens struck out 10 while outdueling Teagan Kavan and leading Tennessee to the 4-1 win.

Texas had a sluggish first inning. Kavan walked and hit the first two batters of the game. Tennessee slugger McKenna Gibson tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt. She popped it up, but none of Kavan, Joley Mitchell nor Mia Scott took command, letting it fall for a single. Kavan got Sophia Nugent to foul a ball high in the sky. Mitchell and Reese Atwood collided while Atwood made the catch, however, but both fell to the ground, leaving home plate unattended and allowing a sacrifice fly to plate the first run.

The Longhorns did collect themselves in the bottom half. Ashton Maloney led off with a single against Pickens. Atwood lined a two-out double off the wall that Tennessee left fielder Saviya Morgan didn’t play well, allowing Maloney to score from first base.

After the pair of aces had breezed through the second inning, the Lady Vols’ big bat came through in third. Gibson and Taylor Pannell hit back-to-back doubles off the left field wall to give their team the lead again.

Kavan limited the damage to the lone run in the third and got through the bottom of the order with ease in the fourth. Once again, the top of the order gave her trouble in the fifth. Kinsey Fiedler walked again and Pannell followed with a single up the middle. After a wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position, Mike White made the change to Citlaly Gutierrez. Gibson lifted a sacrifice fly to add an insurance run for her pitcher.

The top of the order did it again in the seventh. Fielder walked, Pannell picked up her third hit of the game and Gibson drove in her third run of the game.

The biggest difference between Kavan and Pickens was the free passes. Two of Tennessee’s three runs versus Kavan were from leadoff walks. Pickens, on the other hand, only had one.

Texas also couldn’t find a clutch hit with runners in scoring position. The Longhorns went 0-for-4 in those moments, including Pickens inducing an inning-ending double to end a threat in the sixth.

Tennessee returns to Knoxville to host Auburn, while Texas stays in Austin to face LSU. Both teams try to bounce back after dropping the series this week.

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