University of Tennessee Athletics
Saturday, April 12
Austin, TX
6 PM
University of Tennessee
33-9, 0
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Texas
39-4, 0
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7
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Tennessee
2
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Texas
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#7 Lady Vols Take Down #1 Texas, 3-1
April 12, 2025 | Softball
AUSTIN, Texas – No. 7 Tennessee knocked off top-ranked Texas, 3-1, on Saturday night at Red and Charline McCombs Field, securing the program's first-ever true road win over a No. 1 team and its first victory over a top-ranked opponent since 2017.
Tennessee (33-9, 8-6 SEC) struck early with a two-out, two-run homer in the first inning off the bat of McKenna Gibson — her 10th of the season and fourth in the last five games.
The Lady Vols carried a 2-0 lead into the fourth before Texas (39-4, 11-3 SEC) responded with a run on two hits and two walks. The Longhorns loaded the bases with two outs, but Tennessee escaped the jam with a groundout to preserve the lead.
In the seventh, Tennessee added insurance. Laura Mealer led off with a single to left and was replaced by pinch-runner Katie Taylor, who advanced to second on a wild pitch. Gabby Leach then delivered a clutch RBI single up the middle to push the lead to 3-1.
The Longhorns went down in order in the bottom half as Tennessee closed out a statement win.
IN THE CIRCLE
Karlyn Pickens was dominant in the circle, going the distance for her 16th win of the season. The junior right-hander allowed just one run on four hits, walking three and striking out eight. Pickens, a native of Weaverville, North Carolina, held her season ERA at 0.93 and lowered her SEC ERA to 1.15.
CHECK THE STATS
Gibson's first-inning home run was the 43rd of her career, moving her within one of tying Madison Shipman for fifth on Tennessee's all-time list.
The Lady Vols' win marked their first in Austin and improved their record to 1-2 all-time against the Longhorns in the Texas capital. It was Tennessee's first win over a No. 1 team since a 5-1 victory over Florida in Knoxville on April 30, 2017.
DUE UP
Tennessee and Texas conclude their three-game series on Sunday. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. ET and will be available to stream on SEC Network+.
Tennessee (33-9, 8-6 SEC) struck early with a two-out, two-run homer in the first inning off the bat of McKenna Gibson — her 10th of the season and fourth in the last five games.
The Lady Vols carried a 2-0 lead into the fourth before Texas (39-4, 11-3 SEC) responded with a run on two hits and two walks. The Longhorns loaded the bases with two outs, but Tennessee escaped the jam with a groundout to preserve the lead.
In the seventh, Tennessee added insurance. Laura Mealer led off with a single to left and was replaced by pinch-runner Katie Taylor, who advanced to second on a wild pitch. Gabby Leach then delivered a clutch RBI single up the middle to push the lead to 3-1.
The Longhorns went down in order in the bottom half as Tennessee closed out a statement win.
IN THE CIRCLE
Karlyn Pickens was dominant in the circle, going the distance for her 16th win of the season. The junior right-hander allowed just one run on four hits, walking three and striking out eight. Pickens, a native of Weaverville, North Carolina, held her season ERA at 0.93 and lowered her SEC ERA to 1.15.
CHECK THE STATS
Gibson's first-inning home run was the 43rd of her career, moving her within one of tying Madison Shipman for fifth on Tennessee's all-time list.
The Lady Vols' win marked their first in Austin and improved their record to 1-2 all-time against the Longhorns in the Texas capital. It was Tennessee's first win over a No. 1 team since a 5-1 victory over Florida in Knoxville on April 30, 2017.
DUE UP
Tennessee and Texas conclude their three-game series on Sunday. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. ET and will be available to stream on SEC Network+.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Pickens, Karlyn (16-4)
L: Morgan (7-2)
Batting:
2B: Leach, Gabby 1
HR: Gibson, McKenna 1
RBI: Gibson, McKenna 2 ; Leach, Gabby 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Fiedler, Kinsey 1 ; Gibson, McKenna 1 ; Taylor, Katie 1
Batting:
RBI: Cimusz 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mitchell 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
INF
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OF
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