Both hosts held serve. Tennessee swept Knoxville 3-0 — 3-1 over Northern Kentucky, 7-5 over Virginia, 5-1 over Virginia to close. Georgia matched it in Athens: 5-2 over Charleston, 8-0 over UNC Greensboro, 5-0 shutout of Clemson in the title. Karlyn Pickens (1.44 ERA) was the No. 1 overall AUSL pick — when she's healthy, she's the best pitcher Georgia faces all year. Sarah Gordon has been a Player of the Week machine, and Tony Baldwin's bats need to crack a fully-rested Pickens to win this.
Pickens's pitch count and health. The 1.44 ERA version slams the door. The 80% version lets Baldwin's third straight super regional become Georgia's biggest upset.
Series Schedule
Best of 3 · All times Eastern
Game
Date
Time
Matchup
Result
TV
Game 1
Thu, May 21
7:00 PM ET
Georgia at Tennessee
Tennessee3–1
ESPN2
Game 2
Fri, May 22
3:00 PM ET
Georgia at Tennessee
Tennessee2–1
ESPN2
Game 3 (if necessary)
Sun, May 24
TBA
Georgia at Tennessee
—
ESPN / ESPN2
Hosted at Tennessee. Game 3 only played if the series is split 1-1.
Game Recaps
2 games in the books
Game 1·Thu, May 21·7:00 PM ET·ESPN2Final
Tennessee
3
▲ Winner
vs
Knoxville
Georgia
1
Hero of the Gamein the circle
Karlyn Pickens
Tennessee · Pitcher
7.0 IP · 7 H · 1 ER · 3 BB · 10 K
“Pickens punched out 10 and made one pitch she'd like back — Digby's solo HR — but otherwise dominated the SEC bat-handlers from start to finish.”
Key Moments
Bot 1 — Knight and Clarke back-to-back solo HRs, 2-0 Vols
Top 2 — Digby solo HR cuts it to 2-1
Bot 5 — Leach solo HR restores the 2-run cushion
Pickens K's 10 to close out a 3-1 series-opening win
Pitchers
WK. Pickens7.0 IP 7 H 1 ER 3 BB 10 K
LA. Fisher3.1 IP 5 H 2 ER 2 BB 5 K · 2 HR
P. Harrison2.2 IP 2 H 1 ER 1 K · 1 HR
Top Batters
S. Knight (CF)2-for-4 · HR · 1 R · 1 RBI
E. Clarke (2B)1-for-3 · HR · 1 R · 1 RBI
A. Leach (DP)1-for-3 · HR · 1 R · 1 RBI
E. Digby (UGA)1-for-2 · HR · 1 R · 1 RBI
Game 2·Fri, May 22·3:00 PM ET·ESPN2Final
Tennessee
2
▲ Winner
vs
Knoxville
Georgia
1
Hero of the Gamein the box
Sophia Knight
Tennessee · Batter
1-for-4 · 2 RBI
“Knight's 2-RBI knock in the 2nd was all Tennessee needed — Mardjetko struck out 9 in 5.2 IP, Nuwer closed it, and the Vols sweep their way to OKC.”
Key Moments
Top 2 — Knight 2-RBI hit puts Tennessee up 2-0
Mardjetko K's 9 over 5.2 IP
Nuwer enters in the 6th and finishes the job
Bot 7 — Georgia plates its only run, but the Vols slam the door
The winner of this best-of-three series advances to the Women’s College World Series at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, May 28 – June 5. The WCWS is double-elimination through the semifinals, followed by a best-of-three Championship Series.
Tennessee
Georgia