AUBURN, Alabama In the SEC Softball Tournament quarterfinals, No. 2 Tennessee and No. 10 LSU faced off in another pitcher’s duel, which the Tigers won 2-1.
Tennessee (40-10) got five hits off LSU starter Kelley Lynch, all of which were singles.
In the bottom of the fifth, Sophia Nugent hit an RBI single to score UT’s first run. Rylie West, Zaida Puni, Laura Mealer, and Giulia Koutsoyanopulos had the other Lady Vols hits throughout the game.
With an RBI single through the center of the diamond, Ali Newland gave LSU (40–14) the lead in the first inning. Newland went 2-for-3 for the evening.
Taylor Pleasants’ RBI single in the fifth inning allowed the Tigers to score their second run of the contest.
Lynch pitched 4.2 innings for LSU, allowing one run on five hits with five strikeouts and three walks. The right-hander was lifted in the fifth for Sydney Berzon. Lynch earned the win – her eighth of the season.
With 2.1 innings pitched, one hit, three strikeouts, and her fourth save, Berzon ended the quarterfinal.
After throwing 3.1 innings in the circle to start the game for Tennessee, Karlyn Pickens was lifted for Payton Gottshall with one out in the fourth. In the sixth inning, she made her way back to the circle to end the evening.
Her final line was one run allowed on four hits, three walks, and four strikeouts in five innings thrown. It was Pickens’ sixth defeat of 2024.
In two innings of relief work, Gottshall gave up one run on three hits, one walk, and one strikeout.
Next up
When the 64-team bracket is unveiled on Sunday, May 12 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2, Tennessee will find out if it will make it to the NCAA Tournament.
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