Laura Mealer's home run puts Tennessee softball one win from WCWS after beating Alabama

Tennessee softball had only managed to get one hit off Alabama pitcher Kayla Beaver when Laura Mealer stepped to the plate in the fifth inning Friday in the NCAA super regional opener.

The No. 3 seed Lady Vols had just gotten on the board to cut the Tide's lead to one. When Mealer made contact, there was no doubt it was leaving Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. The ball cleared the center field wall, and the crowd erupted.

Mealer's two-run homer helped give Tennessee a 3-2 win over No. 14 seed Alabama.

Tennessee (44-10) needs one more win over the Tide (36-18) to advance to its second straight Women's College World Series. It would be the first time UT made consecutive appearances in Oklahoma City since 2013. The Lady Vols will play Alabama in Game 2 on Saturday (3 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Tennessee softball gives up first runs of NCAA Tournament

Alabama's leadoff hitter, Kristen White, hit a single in the first at-bat of the game. She ended up making it to third base off an error by senior outfielder Rylie West. White scored off a wild pitch, marking the first run Tennessee has given up the entire NCAA Tournament.

Alabama made it a 2-0 lead in the second inning off an RBI-single. Sophomore infielder Destiny Rodriguez had to field a hit off the second bounce and didn't make the throw to first base in time to get the third out, and the runner made it home.

Neither Karlyn Pickens or Tennessee's defense was sharp enough to start the game. Pickens threw three wild pitches and gave up three hits in the first three innings – she only gave up one hit in seven innings against Alabama during the regular season. But Tennessee's defense also committed two errors in the opening innings.

Payton Gottshall entered the game for Pickens in the sixth inning after she gave up a single. Pickens (22-6) ended with seven strikeouts, four hits allowed, one walk and one earned run. Gottshall ended with two strikeouts and two hits allowed in two innings of work.

Karen Weekly mixes it up to revive Lady Vols softball offense

With two outs in the fifth inning, Tennessee coach Karen Weekly switched things up. She sent freshman outfielder Gabby Leach, who's left-handed, in to pinch hit with West already on second base.

Alabama mishandled Leach's hit, allowing her to reach first base, and West made a mad dash for home. West slid and barely beat the throw, and Alabama challenged the call. The officials upheld the call, and Tennessee finally got on the board. Leach was hitting .273 this season in 22 at-bats going into Friday.

COACH WEEKLY: How Karen Weekly evolved as coach, learned the griddy and brought Tennessee softball back to top

Mealer's home run followed Leach's single. It was Mealer's eighth home run of the season and brought her RBI total to 26.

Hitting home runs against Alabama isn't anything new for Mealer, though. She hit two home runs against Alabama last season with Middle Tennessee State during the NCAA regionals. She went 2-for-4 with two RBIs off a home run in MTSU's win against the Tide to force the extra game in the regional final.

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee softball beats Alabama on Laura Mealer super regional homer