Tennessee softball's stay in the SEC Tournament is short-lived.

The 4-seed Lady Vols got a double-bye straight the quarterfinals, but fell 6-1 to 5-seed Arkansas in their debut.

Tennessee (40-14) has now lost three of four meetings with the Razorbacks (40-11) after dropping two of three at home early in the SEC slate.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Karlyn Pickens, the likely SEC Pitcher of the Year, got the start in the circle for the Lady Vols. She pitched her first six innings without allowing an earned run with two runs scoring off a brutal throwing error.

In the seventh, another error got a rally started against Pickens before Arkansas hit a grand slam with two outs to apply all the insurance runs it needed. This was the first allowed grand slam of Pickens' collegiate career, but all four of the runs were unearned.

Pickens' final line sat at seven innings pitched, seven allowed hits, two walks, 10 strikeouts and no earned runs.

For Tennessee, it got its run on a Taylor Pannell infield single that she dug out. It scored a runner from third. The best day at the plate was from Laura Mealer. She recorded three of the Lady Vols' six hits on the day.

Pickens got off to a strong start in the top of the first inning. She got two strikeouts on six pitches to begin the game before sitting down the final batter with a groundout. However, the Lady Vols' offense also went down in order in the bottom of the inning.

The Razorbacks got a runner on via a walk in the second but was limited to just that. Tennessee got its first runner in the third via a single from Mealer. She was caught attempting to steal second before the next pair of batters struck out.

In the fourth, Arkansas used a single and double to get two aboard. After a strikeout, Pickens induced a grounder that was thrown home in plenty of time.

With the runner on second moving all the way to third, Tennessee's catcher Sophia Nugent had the chance to run the runner headed home back to third and get a free second out. However, she threw the ball over the third baseman's head, allowing both runners to go home.

Tennessee responded in the sixth to make it a 2-1 game. On a grounder from Pannell with one out, she beat the throw to first, allowing a run to score.

The Lady Vols had runners on first and second with one down, but consecutive outs ended the inning with no further damage done.

In the top of the seventh, Arkansas got a bunch of insurance. The Razorbacks got aboard with a lead-off error before a pair of singles loaded the bases with two outs. Arkansas hit a grand slam after a meeting at the mound between Pickens and head coach Karen Weekly to take a demanding five-run lead.

Tennessee got another single from Mealer in the seventh, but couldn't produce any runs.

Now, Tennessee will wait to see where it is seeded in the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Vols have a case to be a top-eight seed, which would not only allow them to host in the regionals, but also a theoretical super regional if Tennessee survived the first round.

The bracket will be revealed on Sunday, May 11, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

– TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM.

– ENJOY VOLREPORT WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION.

– SUBSCRIBE TO THE VOLREPORT YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

– FOLLOW VOLREPORT ON TWITTER: @TennesseeRivals, @ByNoahTaylor, @RyanTSylvia, @Dale_Dowden, @ShayneP_Media.