Tennessee’s Karlyn Pickens set another NCAA softball velocity record Saturday afternoon with a pitch clocked at 79.4 mph.
The more pertinent stat for the Lady Vols is that the 6-foot-1 junior from Weaverville, North Carolina, has still yet to lose back-to-back starts to the same opponent during her stellar career.
Pickens tallied 11 strikeouts as the two-time Southeastern Conference pitcher of the year held Nebraska scoreless over the last six innings in a 3-2 victory that evened the Knoxville Super Regional at a game apiece. A winner-take-all showdown at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium for a berth in the eight-team Women’s College World Series is set for Sunday (2 p.m. on ESPN).
“Our goal last night and this morning was to get to Sunday, and we’ve gotten to Sunday,” Tennessee coach Karen Weekly said afterward in a news conference. “Now, it’s a brand new ballgame.”
Tennessee, the No. 7 overall seed in the NCAA tournament’s 64-team field, will be seeking its ninth trip to the WCWS, which begins Thursday in Oklahoma City.
Pickens, who was on the losing end of Friday’s 5-2 setback in the opener, is now 23-9 on the season with a 1.06 earned run average. She has thrown three days in a row on five previous occasions this season.
Her record pitch came in the first inning against Cornhuskers leadoff batter Jordy Bahl, and it broke the 78.2 mph effort she had March 24 during a 3-2 win over Arkansas in Knoxville.
“I had no idea,” a smiling Pickens said. “Even with my past pitches, I don’t have a clue until after the game when someone tells me. It’s funny that has happened twice now.”
Said Weekly: “It’s an incredible feat for her to accomplish, but really what allows her to be most effective and allows us to win is her ability to throw that changeup along with her velo.”
Bahl was impressive again for Nebraska (43-14), as the Big Ten player of the year allowed fewer hits Saturday (four) than she yielded Friday (seven). Tennessee manufactured the deciding run in the third inning, when Gabby Leach drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on Sophia Nugent’s single to center, went to third on Ella Dodge’s fielder’s choice and scored on McKenna Gibson’s sacrifice fly.
“I thought Jordy in the last three innings was excellent,” Nebraska coach Rhonda Revelle said. “I thought she threw a really good game. They’re a good-hitting team, and she had to throw a little different game today than she did yesterday. Jordy is a warrior, and she’s going to go as long as there’s a scoreboard on.
“We’re all tired. I bet Pickens is tired, too, but there is a lot on the line.”
The Lady Vols (44-15) were the visiting team and quickly took a 2-0 lead on Dodge’s two-run home run down the right-field line. The redshirt freshman became the first left-handed hitter to take Bahl deep all season.
“When the ball came off my bat, I knew it was gone,” Dodge said. “We were the visitors, so we talked about scoring first and putting it on them.”
Nebraska answered in its half of the first inning on Hannah Camenzind’s one-out grounder that went off the glove of Pickens and rolled into left field, allowing Bahl and Samantha Bland to score. The Cornhuskers threatened in the seventh before the game ended with Ava Bredwell flying out to center with runners on second and third.
“I was super excited to get back out there today,” said Pickens, who was replaced during the fourth inning Friday with the Lady Vols trailing 5-1. “I was going to do anything it took to make it happen. I’m glad I was given the ability to compete and play a little more like myself.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.