OKLAHOMA CITY — In a game that embodied the essence of postseason heartbreak, the No. 7-seeded Tennessee Lady Volunteers watched a lead—and potentially a statement win—slip through their fingers on softball’s grandest stage. The Lady Vols fell 4-3 to No. 2 Oklahoma in the opening game of the Women’s College World Series on Thursday afternoon, a loss that stung deeper than most given the circumstances surrounding its unraveling.
For five innings, Tennessee looked like the sharper, more composed, and more determined team. But against a dynasty program like Oklahoma, five innings rarely cuts it. With the shadows growing longer across OGE Energy Field and the crowd swelling with anticipation, the Sooners reminded the world why they’ve won three straight national championships and are gunning for an unprecedented fourth.
Tennessee’s junior ace Payton Gottshall was electric for most of the game, baffling Oklahoma’s potent lineup with rise balls that zipped past bats and off-speed pitches that danced out of the zone. She worked her way out of multiple jams in the early innings and seemed to settle into a confident rhythm after the Vols grabbed an early lead.
In the third inning, the Lady Vols struck first. Kiki Milloy, the heart and soul of Tennessee softball, smacked a leadoff double into the right-center gap, igniting the orange-clad fans in attendance. A sacrifice bunt by Zaida Puni moved Milloy to third, and freshman slugger McKenna Gibson did her job with a sharply hit RBI single up the middle. It was a textbook execution of small ball married with power, the exact formula head coach Karen Weekly has emphasized all season.
In the fourth inning, Tennessee added to its lead with back-to-back doubles from Rylie West and Katie Taylor, making it 2-0 and giving Gottshall a cushion to work with. For much of the afternoon, it appeared that the Vols were in control of the tempo, pace, and narrative.
But Oklahoma is not a team that panics. They’re not a team that folds under pressure. In fact, they seem to grow stronger in the spotlight. Sooners head coach Patty Gasso, who has built a juggernaut that borders on mythological in recent years, made a calculated move in the fifth inning by sending in pinch hitter Alynah Torres, a seasoned veteran with a flair for the dramatic. On the third pitch she saw, Torres connected with a Gottshall fastball and sent it soaring into the left field bleachers, cutting the deficit to 2-1 and injecting life into the previously subdued Oklahoma section of the stadium.
Tennessee responded admirably in the sixth. Milloy once again found her way on base, this time via a walk, and advanced to second on a passed ball. Puni came through with a clutch single to left, and Milloy, showing her elite speed, slid in just ahead of the tag at the plate. The Vols extended their lead to 3-1 and were just six outs away from what would’ve been one of the biggest upsets of the tournament’s opening day.
But then came the unraveling.
In the bottom of the sixth, Gottshall started to show signs of fatigue. After recording the first out on a pop fly, she issued a walk to Tiare Jennings, who had been held hitless up to that point. The next batter, Jayda Coleman, worked a full count before slapping a bloop single just over the glove of Tennessee’s shortstop. With two runners on and the tying run at first, Gasso called for a hit-and-run. Kinzie Hansen delivered, roping a double down the left field line that scored both runners and tied the game at 3-3. The once-confident Lady Vols defense appeared momentarily stunned.
Weekly made a visit to the mound, but chose to leave Gottshall in. Two pitches later, a passed ball allowed Hansen to advance to third. Then, with the infield drawn in, Oklahoma’s Haley Lee lifted a fly ball deep enough to left to score Hansen on a sacrifice. Just like that, the Sooners had their first lead of the game at 4-3.
In the seventh, Oklahoma’s Jordy Bahl came in to close it out. Bahl, the 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, was nearly unhittable. She struck out the first two batters she faced with back-to-back rise balls that exploded up in the zone. Milloy came to the plate as the potential tying run and worked a 2-2 count. On the fifth pitch of the at-bat, she laced a scorching line drive to center field, but Coleman barely had to move to make the game-ending catch.
Tennessee’s players walked solemnly back to the dugout, heads down, as the Oklahoma contingent erupted with cheers and chants of “Boomer Sooner!” It was a gut-wrenching loss for a Lady Vols team that had done nearly everything right for most of the game.
After the final out, Coach Weekly was candid but composed in her postgame remarks. “That’s a tough one to swallow,” she said. “We had them. We really did. But against a team like Oklahoma, you can’t let up. You can’t give them even the slightest window. They’ll break it wide open.”
Weekly emphasized that the team needs to regroup quickly, as the double-elimination format of the WCWS means there’s little time to dwell. “We’re still in this,” she said. “Our season isn’t over. Not even close.”
Milloy, speaking after the game, echoed that sentiment. “We knew this road wasn’t going to be easy. Every team here is elite. Oklahoma just made a few more plays than we did in the end.”
Despite the loss, Tennessee’s performance was commendable. They out-hit the Sooners, showed poise in high-pressure moments, and proved that they could hang with the nation’s best. But moral victories don’t extend your stay in Oklahoma City.
The loss drops the Lady Vols into the elimination bracket, where they’ll face the loser of UCLA and Alabama. One more loss, and their season is over. It’s not the path they envisioned, but it’s one they’ve faced before. In 2023, Tennessee also dropped its opening WCWS game and fought back through the loser’s bracket before eventually bowing out in the semifinals. That experience could prove valuable in the coming days.
As for Oklahoma, the win reinforced why they entered the tournament as the team to beat. Even when not at their best, even when down late, they find ways to win. It’s part of their identity—an unshakable confidence forged through years of dominance, talent, and championship DNA.
The Sooners move on in the winner’s bracket and will face the victor of the Florida–Stanford matchup. They’ll do so with momentum and the reassurance that their offense can come alive when needed most.
For Tennessee, the margin for error is now gone. Their next game is a must-win. The season hangs in the balance. But if there’s anything to be gleaned from this narrow loss, it’s that this team has the tools, the toughness, and the talent to make a deep run.
They’ll need to find a way to turn heartbreak into fuel. Because in Oklahoma City, every game could be your last, and the Lady Vols have unfinished business.
