Athens, Ga. — Tennessee softball held on tight for six innings, but a seventh-inning collapse ended its run in the SEC Tournament.
The No. 4 seed Lady Vols were locked in a tense one-run battle with No. 5 seed Arkansas before things unraveled in the final frame. Junior pitcher Karlyn Pickens had been solid on the mound, with both of the Razorbacks’ early runs unearned. But a leadoff error in the seventh opened the floodgates, and Arkansas took full advantage — erupting for four runs with two outs to secure a 6-1 victory and eliminate Tennessee from the tournament.
The turning point came when Raigan Kramer stepped up with the bases loaded and delivered a crushing grand slam — just her second home run of the season — sealing the Lady Vols’ fate at Jack Turner Stadium on May 8.
The game had already taken a bizarre turn in the fourth inning, when Arkansas scored twice on a misplay involving Tennessee catcher Sophia Nugent. In a rundown between third and home, Kramer was trapped, but instead of tagging her out, Nugent tried to throw to third. The throw sailed high, allowing both Kramer and Bri Ellis to score — a two-run mistake that gave Arkansas a 2-0 lead.
Tennessee’s offense never fully found its rhythm, managing only six hits while striking out nine times against Arkansas pitcher Robyn Herron, who kept the Lady Vols off-balance all afternoon.
The only offensive spark came in the sixth inning, when Tennessee strung together three singles, including a clutch RBI infield hit by Taylor Pannell. The rally nearly turned into something more when Nugent drove a deep fly ball toward the fence — but Arkansas made the catch at the wall, ending the threat.
That brief surge would be Tennessee’s only run, as their hopes of advancing in the tournament were dashed minutes later by Kramer’s grand slam.
With the loss, Tennessee falls to 40-14, while Arkansas improves to 40-11 and advances to the SEC semifinals.
