In a game to celebrate their seniors, the Lady Vols did everything but that.
Tennessee softball was decimated from the second pitch on Friday evening at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, tallying just two hits in a 12-0 run-rule loss to the Crimson Tide in five innings. Alabama (44-4, 16-3 SEC) took full advantage of six walks and three hit by pitches, running the Lady Vols (38-8, 12-7) out of their own stadium.
Karlyn Pickens got the ball in the circle on Senior Day, and it was perhaps one of the worst games of her illustrious career. She pitched just 2.2 innings, walking four, allowing four hits and hitting two batters.
“Nine free passes is really, really hard to overcome, no matter who you’re playing,” head coach Karen Weekly said. “When you’re playing one of the top teams in the country, it’s really difficult. We have to force them to put the ball in play and let us play defense.”
It took Alabama exactly two pitches to make its intentions clear.
After a pop out on the first pitch, Brooke Wells sent her 20th home run of the year over the right field wall for the early lead. Pickens limited the damage in the first frame after allowing two more runners, holding Alabama to one score.
Sophia Knight led Tennessee off with a single up the middle, giving the home crowd something to cheer about. She stole second but was stranded there as two strikeouts and a flyout ended the frame.
Alabama was held scoreless in the second, tallying just a single. The Lady Vols generated their last flicker of offense in the second after a Taelyn Holley double, but she would be left on base after a groundout.
With a 1-0 lead heading into the third inning, the Crimson Tide broke the game open.
Pickens ran into trouble, walking two batters, hitting two more, and surrendering a single as Alabama sent the order around and plated four runs. Freshman Peyton Hardenburg was called out of the bullpen, but the damage was already done. She managed to strike out Wells for the final out, but Tennessee was staring down a 5-0 deficit with no signs of life at the plate.
“Just very uncharacteristic,” Weekly said. “She’ll have her walks here and there, but she’s usually able to bounce back pretty quick from them and not let an inning get away like I think the third inning did. But again, she’s human. I have no doubt she’ll be ready to bounce back tomorrow.”
The Lady Vols went three-up, three-down in the bottom of the third. Bella Faw fouled out while Knight and Ella Dodge grounded out as Tennessee’s deficit began to look insurmountable.
“It needs to hurt, because obviously that’s not the way we want to play,” Weekly said. “But at the same time, we have to flush that and come back tomorrow ready to play a different ball game. I know we’re fully capable of playing a different game.”
The fourth inning was a full-on gut punch for Tennessee. Hardenburg allowed four runs, hitting a batter, giving up two walks and two hits before Erin Nuwer came to relieve her. Nuwer limited the further damage as best she could, but Alabama was out to a nine-run lead before the inning ended.
Tennessee came up with nothing but a walk in the fourth, sending the Crimson Tide back up to bat. They capped the game off with a three-run shot, stretching the lead to 12 in the fifth inning.
The two play game two of the series on Sunday, April 26.
