The Southeastern Conference’s tournament Cinderella was no match for a team equipped with brooms.
Top-seeded Tennessee ended 10th-seeded South Carolina’s storybook softball run with a 3-1 triumph in Saturday afternoon’s championship game in Fayetteville, Arkansas. This marks the first time the Lady Volunteers have swept the league’s regular-season and tournament titles, with Tennessee having last claimed the tourney championship in 2011.
“This was part of our goal. We’re at two-thirds of our goal,” Lady Vols senior center fielder Kiki Milloy told ESPN. “Let’s go get the national championship. We just need to stay on the attack from the first pitch.”
The NCAA will announce its 64-team field at 7 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2, and Tennessee is certain to be among the top eight seeds with its 43-8 record and No. 4 ranking in the ESPN poll.
Lady Vols 8-hole hitter Jamison Brockenbrough broke a 1-1 tie in the third inning with a two-run double down the left-field line. That would be enough support for starting pitcher Payton Gottshall, who worked five innings and allowed three hits and one run.