UA Wildcats softball
Tennesse gets revenge, chases Fowler out of circle in WCWS
Fowler completes only 3 innings in first trip to OK City, Cats bats go quiet
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Ash Friederich/TucsonSentinel.comUA's pitchers Sarah Akamine (left) and Kenzie Fowler had no answer for the Vols lineup in the first game of the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. Fowler pitched three innings giving up seven runs – four earned – before Akamine took over. The Cats lost 9-0 and tied a WCWS record by allowing nine walks.
Someone’s five-game winning streak had to come to an end and No. 15 Tennessee made sure it wasn’t theirs.
The Tennessee Volunteers softball team beat the Arizona Wildcats 9-0 in five innings in the Women's College World Series on Thursday night. Freshman pitcher Kenzie Fowler was chased out of the circle in just three innings of work.
While she had the ball, Fowler gave up seven runs – four earned – and walked eight. She faced 22 batters in her short outing and threw 110 pitches, 52 for strikes.
Sarah Akamine came on relief and surrendered two runs and walked one in two innings of work.
In allowing the nine walks, the team tied a WCWS record.
Tennessee (48-13) was helped by five illegal pitches in the third inning. The Vols jumped on the Wildcats for four runs after center fielder Kelly Grieve’s walk.
Grieve eventually scored when Fowler was called for two straight illegal pitches. Catcher Tiffany Huff and second baseman Lauren Gibson scored on Erinn Webb’s double to give the Vols a 3-0 lead.
Webb eventually scored on Fowler’s eighth illegal pitch.
Arizona (48-12) had a tough time getting anything going in the game against freshman Ivy Renfroe (30-4), who struck out six Wildcats in the shortened game.
Brittany Lastrapes provided the Cats with a chance to get up early when she had a lead-off double – one of the Cat's three hits – but Renfroe got the next three outs by way of a lineout, groundout and fly out.
The game was the second straight WCWS outing that saw Arizona finished in five innings. Last year, they lost to Alabama 14-0 and were eliminated from the WCWS.
Arizona will face the loser of the No. 6 Georgia/No. 3 Washington game in an elimination bracket on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. on ESPN2.
Up Next
The Wildcats will take on the loser of the No. 6 Georgia/No. 3 Washington game on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
Other scores on first day of the Women's College World Series
- No. 16 Hawaii def. No. 9 Missouri, 3-2
- No. 5 UCLA def. No. 4 Florida, 16-3
Friday's games (winner's bracket)
- Bracket 1: No. 16 Hawaii (50-14) vs. No. 5 UCLA (46-11), 4 p.m. TV: ESPN
- Bracket 2: No. 15 Tennessee (48-13) vs. No. 6 Georgia/No. 3 Washington winner, 6:30 p.m. TV: ESPN
Saturday's games (loser's bracket)
- Bracket 1: No. 9 Missouri (51-12) vs. No. 4 Florida (48-9), 9 a.m. TV: ESPN2
- Bracket 2: No. 10 Arizona (48-12) vs. No. 6 Georgia/No. 3 Washington loser, 11:30 a.m. TV: ESPN2
*all times are Arizona time
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