Lady Vols advance to Women's College World Series

KNOXVILLE — Rainey Gaffin and Erin Gabriel, the Tennessee softball team's two top pitchers, took a long, slow walk together along the Lee Stadium warning track Friday.

The Lady Vols had just dropped Game 2 of their Super Regional series against Florida State and, suddenly, elimination and the Women's College World Series were equally close.

The chat the two pitchers had seemed to help. Tennessee is heading to Oklahoma City for the seventh time in program history after Gaffin held off the Seminoles 2-1 in Game 3.

"Erin always pumps me up, and that's one thing I love about her," Gaffin said. " … I said, 'I got you, Erin. I got you.' "

Co-head coach Ralph Weekly called this an overachieving group and the most inexperienced team he will take to Oklahoma City. But he isn't satisfied with simply making it to the eight-team event, which begins Thursday.

"I'm not just happy to get there," he said. "I want to go out there and win some games."

Gaffin, who pitched a spotless 2-2/3 innings in relief during Tennessee's Game 1 win, made her first start of the weekend in Game 3 and went the distance. She allowed only one run off five hits, keeping the Lady Vols' season alive.





Gaffin also reached on an infield single in the first inning and came around to score the game's first run on a double to right-center field by Megan Geer. Defending national player of the year Lacey Waldrop threw her second changeup of the at-bat to Geer, who was ready for it.

"I figured she was going to come with it again," Geer said. "When I saw it, I took advantage of it."

In the fourth, Tennessee (47-15) made it a 2-0 lead without a single hit. Nashville native CJ McClain, who pinch ran and stole third base, crossed home plate thanks to an errant throw by Florida State second baseman Ellie Cooper.

Florida State got one run back in the fifth on an RBI single, but Gaffin struck out two in the seventh to slam the door shut.

Earlier in the day, Florida State (49-14) leveled the series score with a 6-1 win against Gabriel, who Weekly admitted is dealing with hip problems. Jessica Warren homered twice for the Seminoles in the early game, improving to 5-for-5 with three homers on the weekend.

Off Gaffin in Game 3, though, Warren went 0-for-3.

"As soon as that first game ended, I called the coaching staff together and said we're going to go in that room together and tell them it's a one-game season," Weekly said. "What happened means nothing."

What followed, though, meant a chance to play for a national title, which Gaffin said is the reason she became a Lady Vol.

"I wanted a shot for national championship," she said. "I knew coming here, day in and day out, we would have that shot. "

Follow Matt Slovin on Twitter @MattSlovin.