ATHENS, Ga. — Cortni Emanuel hit a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning to lead No. 7 seed Georgia to a 2-1 win on Saturday as the Lady Vols were eliminated in the NCAA Athens Super Regional.
Tennessee (48-14) rallied in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 1, but Emanuel’s shot proved to be all the Bulldogs (48-11) would need in extras to punch their ticket to the Women’s College World Series.
Caylan Arnold was dealt the loss for UT and ends her season with a 26-6 record. Arnold went 1.2 innings in relief and recorded a pair of strikeouts after Matty Moss struck out three batters in 6.1 innings of work.
After six innings of scoreless softball, the Bulldogs broke through in the top of the seventh. Justice Milz led off the frame with a single up the middle before Alyssa DiCarlo stepped in and hit a triple to the right center gap, allowing Milz to race around and score the go-ahead run. A fielder’s choice then set up runners on the corners with zero outs, but Arnold was able to work her way out of the jam, holding UGA to the lone run in the inning.
UT went into the bottom of the seventh needing a run to keep their season alive. After a groundout and a fielder’s choice, the Lady Vols were down to their last out with a runner on first. Haley Bearden was then hit by a pitch to advance Brooke Langston to second, and Cailin Hannon came up to pinch hit with the Jack Turner Stadium crowd ready to celebrate a Georgia victory. The freshman from Franklin, Tenn., came through in the clutch, however, and delivered a single to center field that scored Langston and tied the game.
In the top of the eighth, Arnold was able to retire two straight batters before Emanuel stepped in and launched one over the right field fence, giving the Bulldogs the decisive 2-1 edge.
Georgia pitcher Mary Wilson Avant went a complete eight innings in the win. Avant had five strikeouts and allowed just four hits on the day to improve to 12-3.
UP NEXT: The loss concludes the 2018 season for the Lady Vols. The team finished with a 48-14 record, matching its win total from last season. UT suffers postseason elimination in the NCAA Super Regional for the second straight year.
-UT Athletics
