No. 1 Tennessee (59-6) is headed back to the Women's College World Series for the third consecutive year after surviving a tough battle from No. 12 Hawai'i (50-13) to record a 7-1, best-of-three series clinching victory on Saturday evening at Tyson Park.
The Lady Vols will now meet national fourth-seed Texas A&M in Oklahoma City, Okla., in WCWS opening round play on Thursday at a time still to be determined.
Freshman right fielder Erinn Webb (1-of-2, two RBI) posted the biggest hit of the game for the Big Orange by ripping a long two-run double in the bottom of the fourth to grant UT a 3-1 advantage. Junior Tonya Callahan continued her amazing hitting in NCAA Tournament action with a 2-for-3, three RBI effort. She has improved her NCAA average to a staggering .632 (12-of-19) to go along with a HR and eight RBI during six total tourney contests. Freshman first baseman Tiffany Huff was 1-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI to raise her NCAA average to .474 with a team-best nine runs-batted-in.
Abbott (46-3) struck out nine while firing her 39th complete-game of the year. By boasting 649 strikeouts on the season, the Salinas, Calif., native now sits a measly 14 K's from equaling the NCAA single-season record held by former Southern Miss hurler Courtney Blades (set in 2000).
5/26/2007 - Lady Vols Hold Off Hawaii, Head For World Series - Sports - Chattanoogan.com