On Saturday, May 30 in Oklahoma City, Tennessee and Texas Tech’s Women’s College World Series match had little margin for error, as the game went to extra innings before the Lady Vols won 2-1 on Emma Clarke’s walk-off home run in the ninth.
However, the SEC–Big 12 battle was overshadowed by a postgame handshake-line incident between Tennessee coach Karen Weekly and Texas Tech third baseman Taylor Pannell, a former Lady Vol.
In a phone conversation with Cora Hall of the Knoxville New Sentinel — part of the USA TODAY Network — Weekly disputed Pannell’s version of events, stating that her previous coach did not say good game and instead told her that she made a mistake in the game. Weekly even suggested that Pannel’s version of events is an outright lie.
Texas Tech vs. Tennessee softball score: Emma Clarke walks off Red Raiders in additional innings.
When you rewatch the handshake line, you’ll notice that I walked past her just as quickly as anyone else, Weekly told Hall. I couldn’t even tell where she was in the handshake line… That’s a blatant fabrication. I said “good game” to every other player.
Weekly also refuted Pannell’s version of events in her postgame news conference at Devon Park.
Good game, as I constantly remark to players. Weekly told the media, “Good game,” when asked what she said to Pannell after the game.
Pannell, who moved to Texas Tech this offseason, shed a new light on the situation at the Red Raiders’ postgame news conference.
We were walking down the line, saying “good game,” when she (Weekly) claimed I made a mistake instead of “good game,” which is a little bizarre, Pannell said. I love celebrating with the team, and it’s humorous to me that she’s still thinking about it when it’s old news, whatever.
The ex-Lady Vols third baseman batted 1-for-4 in Texas Tech’s defeat, with her only hit coming in the top of the seventh inning. She would eventually score the game-tying run for the Red Raiders that inning on a sacrifice fly from Desirae Spearman on a play at the plate that was initially called out but reversed after a challenge by Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco.
Tennessee advances to the WCWS semifinals for the second consecutive season thanks to Clarke’s walk-off home run. Tennessee will play the winner of Sunday’s double-elimination game between No. 2 Texas and the loser of No. 1 Alabama/No. 4 Nebraska at noon ET on Monday, June 1.
With the defeat, Texas Tech will have a rapid turnaround and face No. 8 UCLA in a double-elimination game on Sunday, May 31 at 3 p. m. ET. The Red Raiders are hoping to become the lowest-seeded team to win the WCWS in tournament history as the 11th seed in the bracket.
