Ashley Rogers stepped back in the circle as Karen Weekly approached.

Texas had opened the sixth inning with a leadoff triple, then plated a run to pull within three of Tennessee and in position to do more damage with a runner on second.

It was a familiar spot for Rogers—the Lady Vols' veteran ace who had shut the door on Texas a number of times throughout the game already.

The Longhorns had a slimmer of momentum when Weekly came out of the dugout to talk to Rogers.

"It was just a little breather for a second just to get my mind reset," Rogers said. "Just a reminder to just attack and just go at them. We're going to get the outs."

They got the outs.

A ground out ended the frame as well as Texas' chances of taking the first game of the Knoxville super regional. Tennessee won, 5-2 and is now within reach of its first Women's College World Series appearance since 2015.

Rogers—who tossed eight strikeouts in 7.0 innings—is a big reason why.

Three times Texas had multiple runners on base and three times Rogers ended the threat, twice with strikeouts.

Even in the sixth when Tennessee was teetering on the brink of unraveling, it was obvious that the ball was going to stay in Rogers' hands. She had been there before.

"I think it's important as a pitcher that you just have to flush whatever happened, you have to just kind of move on," Rogers said. "Just attack the next batter. You can't be thinking about what already happened, you can't let it snowball...Just go at the hitter and get those outs."

Rogers' performance caused more frustration than elation for Texas.

The Longhorns totaled a game-high eight hits and had the tying run at the plate two times only to have Rogers retire the side.

"From my viewpoint, she's able to move the ball around the zone," Texas head coach Mike White said. "You can't only sit in one place. She works both sides of the plate, moves it up, mainly with the curve-screw-rise. Good velocity in that change up can buckle you a little bit."

Now, Tennessee is in the driver's seat.

A win for the Lady Vols on Saturday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium would send them to Oklahoma City for the eighth time in program history and provide a fitting stage for Rogers to finish her Tennessee career.

"It has meant the absolute world to me," Rogers said. "Just this season, especially (Tennessee) taking a chance on me my sophomore year of high school and representing my home state and the people that I love so much here...This team is just amazing. I love every single one of them. They've just been more than I ask for and I've just been so blessed to have them.

"This coaching staff and every single one of these girls on the team just mean so much to me. We're not done yet. I'm just so excited to continue this journey with them. It's been such a blessing."

*****

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