KNOXVILLE – Karen Weekly stretched her palms out past her sides and threw her head back as she offered one last bit of verbal dissent toward the umpiring crew while returning to Tennessee’s dugout.
Late in the sixth inning of an NCAA regional softball game Saturday against USC Upstate, a pair of questionable calls that went against the Volunteers stood as the difference in a high-stakes postseason affair, and Tennessee’s co-head coach clearly was exasperated.
Everyone at Lee Stadium in orange seemed to feel the same way, until Tennessee staged a rally for the record books.
KNOXVILLE, TN – MARCH 20, 2017 – Infielder Scarlet McSwain #3 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebration during the NCAA game between South Carolina Upstate and the Tennessee Volunteers at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Joy Kimbrough/Tennessee AthleticsPinch-hitter Hayley Bearden provided the Vols’ first hit of the game with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh inning, and they scored seven runs while down to their final out to escape with a 7-3 victory over the Spartans.
“Heck of a game,” Weekly said afterward. “Probably the biggest comeback in the history of Tennessee softball.”
The win helped Tennessee avoid the losers bracket in the double-elimination regional format. Tennessee (46-10) will have two chances to win one game today and advance to host a super regional next week.
Bearden’s single brought the Vols within a run and ended the possibility that they would go hitless in a game for the first time since 2001. Leadoff hitter Aubrey Leach stepped up next and sent the stadium into a frenzy with a three-run homer that gave the Vols a 5-3 lead. Meghan Gregg followed with a two-run bomb. It all came with two outs.
“Those are the moments we live for,” Leach said. “Those are the ones where you know you want to be in that situation.”
The sophomore second baseman worked the at-bat to a full count before unleashing her left-handed swing on a pitch up in the strike zone and taking it over the right-center-field fence for her second career home run.
“That was a huge hit,” Weekly said. “Aubrey can swing really, really well. She does so many good things for us in the leadoff spot. She’s a triple threat. She doesn’t hit a lot of home runs, but I knew her in that situtation, that she had the capability if she could get the ball up in the air enough and get a little bit of wind behind it.”
Caylan Arnold (20-8) earned the win in the circle for Tennessee. The freshman recorded 14 consecutive outs following a first-inning snafu that resulted in USC Upstate (45-12) taking a 2-0 lead.
Caught in a rundown between third and home, Ansley Gilstrap dived for home plate as Tennessee third baseman Chelsea Seggern fumbled the softball while attempting to tag her out. Replays showed that Gilstrap never touched the plate and was tagged out by Arnold, who recovered the loose ball.
Home plate umpire John Baca saw it differently and ruled Gilstrap safe, prompting Weekly to emerge from the dugout in protest. Replay reviews are not available during NCAA regionals, and the call stood. With just one out in the inning, the Spartans added a run with a sacrifice fly from the next hitter, Ryan Rector.
USCU scored its third run in the sixth inning on a grounder past Gregg at shortstop when Kendsey Chappelear scored after no call was made when Chappelear appeared to obstruct Gregg’s path to field the ball.
“There are calls that need to be made correctly, and in a game of this magnitude you’ve got to be on your game,” Weekly said later. “We all have to be on our game.”
The Vols finally found their game in the next inning, and they waited until their last out to do it.
“We weren’t going to win on emotion,” Weekly said. “It’s got to be done by playing smarter, not harder. I think we got better and better as the game went along.
“Fortunately, we were good enough before we made our last out.”
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com