Tennessee's softball season ended in heartbreaking fashion Saturday in the second game of a best-of-three NCAA super regional series at Georgia.
Chelsea Seggern lifted a fly ball deep to center field in the bottom of the eighth inning for the Lady Vols with the tying run on first base, but Georgia center fielder Ciara Bryan caught it while leaping into the wall.
The play helped the Bulldogs preserve a 2-1 victory and advance to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
Tennessee's season ended with a record of 48-14.
The game was scoreless for six innings until the Bulldogs surged ahead in the seventh after Justice Milz led off the inning with a single. Caylan Arnold entered for Tennessee starting pitcher Matty Moss with Alyssa DiCarlo coming to the plate.
DiCarlo tripled on a fly to right-center field that dropped next to diving center fielder CJ McClain. The play put Georgia ahead 1-0 and put Tennessee's back against the wall in the bottom of the seventh.
Sent to the plate as a pinch hitter with two outs, sophomore Cailin Hannon drove in the tying run on a check-swing single up the middle with the Lady Vols down to their final out in the game.
Amanda Ayala scored on the play after singling to reach with one out. Tennessee appeared to have regained the momentum.
But Cortni Emanuel homered in the eighth for Georgia to put the Bulldogs back ahead.
Playing in her home state, Tennessee senior shortstop Meghan Gregg, the school's all-time home runs leader and one of the best hitters in program history, singled with one out in the eighth for Tennessee. But she was stranded on base, thanks to Bryan's catch and a groundout by Ashley Morgan that ended the game.