By Stephen Mason
OKLAHOMA CITY — The foot did not come off the accelerator as the No. 7 seed Lady Volunteers rolled into Devon Park and took down the No. 2 seed Texas Longhorns 6-3 in their first game of the 2026 Women’s College World Series.
“I’m really proud of our team. I’m really proud of how we came out with a really good balance of being excited to be here and calm,” head coach Karen Weekly said.
Despite facing both of the Longhorns’ best pitchers, Teagan Kavan and Citlaly Gutierrez, Tennessee’s offense put together one of its best performances. When the Lady Vols faced Kavan last year in the semifinals, she shut them down in Texas’ 2-0 victory.
Freshman Elsa Morrison got the scoring going for the Lady Vols in the second inning. The Knoxville native sent the first pitch she saw over the fence, plating three runs, which proved to be the difference in the game.
“It means the world, getting to have an at-bat with the girls that I love and go to war with every single day,” Morrison said. “Everybody was talking about nerves, breathing, whatnot. I had complete peace in the box knowing that the girls in the dugout would have my back no matter the outcome.”
It was Morrison’s seventh home run of the year, and the freshman has found her stride down the stretch in the postseason for her hometown ball club.
“It’s really her maturity. The season hasn’t been easy for her. It’s not like she’s batted .400 all year. You can tell everything about somebody when they’re struggling,” Weekly said. “When you watch her continue to work, there’s no drama with her. She’s just really analytical about things.”
It took a while for the Longhorns to respond, with Tennessee starting pitcher Sage Mardjetko shutting them down from the circle. Mardjetko pitched four innings, gave up one hit, and struck out one batter.
“It just goes to the confidence and preparation that I’ve had all season. All these teams we face, yes, they’re good, but they’re not going to do anything that’s crazy, unheard of, nothing you’ve never seen before,” Mardjetko said. “Softball is softball. It just goes back to trusting yourself, the preparation you put in day in and day out.”
After getting her team off to a solid start, Mardjetko gave up the circle to senior Karlyn Pickens after Weekly decided to make a pitching change in the fifth inning.
“We planned on splitting the game. It was just a matter of finding the moment we thought was the best one. It is out of respect for our opponent,” Weekly said. “It has nothing to do with Sage. Sage was dealing. It’s out of respect for our opponent to try to keep them off balance, knowing what a great offense they have.”
However, this pitching change opened the door for Texas as its first two batters got hits and the Longhorns plated their first run in the fifth. Pickens’ struggles continued into the sixth as Leighann Goode hit a two-run shot off her.
Although these runs cut into the lead Tennessee had built, the team always found a way to plate at least one run after the Longhorns scored.
“What I really loved was how our team responded. Every time they scored, we came back and scored to kind of keep that cushion,” Weekly said.
The complementary offense and pitching have put Tennessee in the winners’ bracket heading into the weekend. While the team found themselves with their backs against the wall at this point last year, they will have a day off to prepare for the next game.
“Having that day off tomorrow, it means everything ’cause you need to get all the rest you can when you’re preparing for these big games,” Mardjetko said.
The Lady Vols have a massive challenge in their next game as they face a red-hot Texas Tech team. The Red Raiders took down the Mississippi State Bulldogs 8-0 in five innings earlier Thursday.
“Just a super talented team. Again, a team that can go deep in pitching. Haven’t had to rely on one arm, just like we haven’t had to,” Weekly said. “A stacked lineup. Up and down all the way through, one through nine.”
A loss on Saturday will put the Lady Vols into an elimination game on Sunday; however, a win would give them another day off and just one win away from the finals.
UP NEXT: Tennessee will return to Devon Park on Saturday to take on Texas Tech at 3 p.m. EDT on ABC.