KNOXVILLE - After a seven-run victory Friday night, Tennessee softball co-head coach Ralph Weekly was quick to express that he expected a battle from Texas A&M the remainder of this weekend's NCAA super regional.
The Volunteers got one Saturday night.
Texas A&M rallied late for a 6-5 victory over Tennessee, forcing a decisive game three at 3 p.m. today at Lee Stadium. The winner will advance to the Women's College World Series, which starts Thursday in Oklahoma City.
"Congratulations to A&M," Weekly said. "They played a great game. It's what I expect out of them. I thought we played pretty well for the most part. We've already talked about what we need to do tomorrow. We're definitely not throwing in the towel."
Tennessee (48-11) led 4-1 midway through the fifth and was just nine outs from clinching the program's eighth WCWS appearance when Texas A&M's bats came alive. The Aggies (46-11) ripped five hits off Tennessee reliever Matty Moss in the inning and surged ahead 5-4 on Samantha Show's double.
The Vols tied the game at 5-5 on Haley Bearden's single in the sixth as a Lee Stadium single-game record crowd of 2,365 came alive. But they left the bases loaded against Texas A&M reliever Payton McBride, who gave Tennessee trouble for the second night in a row.
A sixth-inning single from Texas A&M's Tori Vidales put the Aggies ahead for good, and McBride pitched her way out of a jam in the seventh.
"I just thought we got more aggressive," Texas A&M coach Jo Evans said. "We stopped waiting around to see what would happen and took the game into our own hands to be the aggressor at the plate."
McBride (2-1) earned the win for the Aggies by pitching 1 2/3 scoreless innings to close the game. The freshman left-hander was used scarcely during the regular season, but she has kept Tennessee hitters off balance in this series. McBride threw four no-hit innings in Tennessee's 8-1 win Friday after entering the game in a bases-loaded jam.
She entered with the bases loaded again on Saturday and quickly retired two Tennessee hitters to end the sixth.
Katie Weimer and Abby Lockman strung back-to-back singles together to put the go-ahead runner on base for the Vols in the seventh. But McBride retired Scarlet McSwain and Aubrey Leach to end the game.
The Vols know they may have to conquer McBride today if they want their season to continue.
"She's left-handed and gives you a different look," said Leach, who had three hits before McBride entered. "She's a little bit slower, spinny pitcher. It's just a different look, and we've got to adjust a little faster to her.
"But hopefully it's nothing we can't handle."
Contact staff writer David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.