Tech falls in extra innings to Tennessee at WCWS

Saturday, May 30

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

2 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

58-8

Tennessee

49-10

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Texas Tech	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	5	1
Tennessee	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	2	5	0

Tech falls in extra innings to Tennessee at WCWS

May 30, 2026 | Softball

Box Score WCWS Bracket Box Score (PDF)Press Conference

By: Wes Bloomquist

OKLAHOMA CITY – No. 11 Texas Tech forced extra innings with a run in the top of the seventh but is now forced to play an elimination game after No. 7 Tennessee hit a walk-off home run in the ninth to earn a 2-1 win at the Women's College World Series on Saturday at Devon Park. The Red Raiders (58-8) will play No. 8 UCLA (53-9) at 6 p.m. on Sunday in the elimination game after the Bruins stayed alive with an 11-0 win over Arkansas on Friday night to advance.

"I thought it was a really good softball game," Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco said. "Tip your hat to Tennessee, they won. They shut our offense down the way that I don't think we've been shut down like that in the post-season. I thought their defense made several really nice plays, especially in big situations. I thought their defense came up big for them. We left eight runners on. In nine innings we need to have more than five hits. I thought we gave away some important at-bats, especially leading off the innings. When we got runners in scoring position, I don't think we valued the at-bats as much as we should on the offensive side."

Tech went scoreless through six innings before tying the game in the seventh on a Desirae Spearman sacrifice fly to score Taylor Pannell who had led the inning off with a single. The Red Raiders had runners on second and third after the run but stranded both on a lineout to left field to end the frame. Terry, who started the game and reentered in pitcher's circle in the bottom of the seventh, would throw two scoreless innings to get to the ninth but surrendered a leadoff home run to Emma Clarke to center field to end the game.

Terry (24-2) took only her second loss of her all-America season after throwing 4 1/3 innings, scattering three hits and striking out four. NiJaree Canaday tossed 3 2/3 innings of relief where she struck out three and allowed two hits, including a solo home run by Taelyn Holley to give Tennessee a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning.

Tech and Tennessee finished the game with five hits each. Mihyia Davis led the Red Raiders by going 2-for-4 with a pair of singles while Mia Williams had Tech's only extra-base hit with a double. Pannell and Lauren Allred each added singles for the Red Raiders who stranded five runners in the game, including one in the eighth.

Sage Mardjetko (16-2) earned the win for the Lady Volunteers after throwing 2 1/3 innings of relief of starter Karlyn Pickens who went 6 2/3 innings and struck out six while allowing five hits. Marjetko struck out two and didn't allow a hit.

UCLA opened the WCWS with a 6-3 loss to Alabama before earning the 11-0 win over Arkansas in five innings.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Tech and Tennessee mirrored each other in the first inning with one single and one stranded runner to get the game started. Davis produced Tech's first hit of the game with an infield single but was stranded at second base after a Pickens followed it with a fielder's choice out and then a strikeout to keep the Red Raiders off the board in the top of the first inning. Terry responded in the bottom of the inning, allowing a leadoff single but then recording a strikeout, fielder's choice and line out to take the game to the second inning still scoreless. Mirroring each other again, the second inning saw two 1-2-3 frames to take the game to the third inning still scoreless. Through two innings, Terry had one strikeout and allowed only one hit – needing only 26 pitches to get through two innings.

Tech went down in order in the top of the third inning before the Lady Volunteers had their leadoff hitter single and then getting a one-out hit-by-pitch to put runners on first and second. The Red Raiders turned to Canady in the pitcher's circle with one out, getting a foul out to Quiroga behind the plate for the second out, loading the bases after hitting a batter but then stranding three runners with a pop-up to Lis at first base to escape the inning.

The game remained scoreless through four innings with Tennessee stranding its fifth runner of the game after Valdez threw out a runner trying to steal second base for the second out and then catching a pop-up in foul territory for the third out. Through four innings, Tennessee had three hits while the Red Raiders had one hit and one left on base.

Allred recorded Tech's second hit of the game against Pickens with a two-out single to left field but would be stranded at first after Canady struck out at the plate before returning to the pitcher's circle in the bottom of the fifth. The Lady Volunteers broke through on the scoreboard with a lead off, opposite-field home run by Holley over the left-field fence off Canady in the bottom of the fifth inning. Canady responded with a groundout, pop-fly out and strikeout to end the inning. Through 2.2 innings of relief, Canady had faced 11 batters and had two strikeouts and two hits allowed.

Tech would strand two runners on base in the top of the sixth on an infield flyout. The Red Raiders had threatened for the first time in the game when Williams hit a one-out double into the left-center field gap but was thrown out at the plate on a Davis single through the middle of the infield. Cut down at home on the play, Tech still had an out remaining and put two on base after a Lis walk. Tennessee got out of the inning though with Burns flying out with the third baseman catching the ball near the pitcher's circle.

The Red Raiders tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly to center field by Spearman to score Pannell who had led off the inning with a single followed by walks from Terry and Allred loaded the bases. Spearman, a pinch hitter, lined out to center and a close play at home proved to be a safe call and run with Pannell sliding by the catcher for the run while Tech runners moved to second and third with two outs and game tied. A line out to left field off the bat of Davis stranded the bases loaded. Terry, back in the pitcher's circle for the first time since the third inning, would record a quick 1-2-3 inning for the Red Raiders with a foul out, strike out and flyout to left field to take the game into extra innings.

UP NEXT:
Texas Tech and UCLA play at 6 p.m. on Sunday in an elimination game while the Lady Volunteers stay in winner's bracket and will play at 11 a.m. on Monday at Devon Park.