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Tennessee walks off UCLA, advances to WCWS semifinals

Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 7.46.34 PMby: Brady Vernon06/01/25BradyVernon
Screenshot 2025-06-01 at 5.50.42 PM
Crash Kamon/Softball America

In a whirlwind of a softball game, Laura Mealer sent Tennessee to the Women’s College World Series semifinals with her walk-off single, beating UCLA 5-4 in nine innings. The Bruins decided to walk McKenna Gibson twice to face Mealer, and each time the Tennessee shortstop, who finished with three RBIs, made them pay.

“I’ve got great hitters in front of me and behind me. So I understand their decision on that. But to be able to pull through for my team in that moment felt amazing,” Mealer said. “So just staying simple and passing the bat was all that’s going through my mind, and I knew my team was right there with me in the box.”

Taylor Pannell, who had homered and nearly hit another earlier in the game, hit a ball off the top of the left field wall for a leadoff double. Her 3-for-4 performance played a pivotal role in the Lady Vols’ win.

“Taylor is a phenomenal hitter,” Tennessee head coach Karen Weekly said. “She’s just a pro when it comes to hitting. She loves hitting. You can see the confidence in her when she goes up to bat. And like she said, I just decided to quit putting so much pressure on myself to get something done. And when you play free, your true talents can shine, and that’s what’s happening with her.”

Megan Grant had been held hitless thus far in the Women’s College World Series, but with UCLA down to its final out, she came through. The All-American crushed the first pitch from Karlyn Pickens to tie the game – or at least it seemed so.

Weekly approached home plate umpire Cameron Ellison to ask about the play. Weekly wanted to know if Grant had touched home plate after Alexis Ramierz pulled her back to touch it. After a lengthy review, it was determined that the play was not reviewable and thus the home run stood as called.

“I think everybody but four people saw the play at the plate,” Weekly said. “We saw in the dugout that she missed the plate, and then we saw that her teammates had kind of pushed her back. And by rule, that should have been nullified.”

Tennessee desperately needed a bat to step up late in the contest. Pannell, the All-American, answered the call. In her third matchup against UCLA starter Kaitlyn Terry, Pannell blasted the first pitch she saw for a two-run go-ahead blast in the fifth. The lead only lasted so long.

Tennessee kept finding grass in the first inning against Terry. Pannell and Ella Dodge had two well-placed singles to put two on with one out. Then moved into scoring position for Gibson after a sacrifice fly. However, UCLA elected to walk the powerful Tennessee veteran. Mealer cashed in on the first chance as well with a ball into center for a two-out, two-RBI single to give the Lady Vols an early lead for the third time in Oklahoma City.

UCLA didn’t wait long to respond. The youngsters at the bottom of the order came through for the Bruins. Alexis Ramirez sent out her second home run of the WCWS to open the second inning. After Pickens picked up a pair of Ks, Sofia Mujica tied the game with her own solo shot. Pickens allowed six home runs prior to the WCWS, but allowed five in her three appearances in Oklahoma City this week.

Alexis Ramirez rounds third after her home run at the WCWS (Crash Kamon/Softball America)

Pickens ran into trouble again in the fifth. Jordan Woolery found her second hit of the day with a two-out double to put runners at second and third. Tennessee decided to intentionally walk Grant despite the fact that Ramirez was on deck. The decision worked out for the Lady Vols. Pickens struck her out to leave the bases loaded.

Tennessee advances to face Texas. The Lady Vols have to beat the Longhorns twice – they won the regular season series in Austin – to advance to the WCWS championship series. The first game on Monday will start at 12 p.m. ET, airing on ESPN.

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