KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee softball fell short against Alabama, 4-1, in a deciding game three of the Knoxville Super Regional on Sunday night at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
The Lady Vols' all-time home runs leader Kiki Milloy came to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh but grounded out to end the game. She said it hurt more knowing her Tennessee career was over than it did not being able to deliver at the moment.
"It sucks that we don't get to play tomorrow and don't get to see them tomorrow," Milloy said.
She looked back on her decision to commit to Tennessee following the defeat and expressed her gratitude that she chose a school so far from her home state of Washington.
"I was okay going away from home because I knew that I had found a home here," Milloy said. "I think that even though this is my last game I'm always going to have a community here, and I'm always going to have people that love and care for me. You see the signs everywhere that say 'I will give my all for Tennessee today,' that's what I did and that's what we do."
Milloy also reflected on her friendship with fellow senior and outfielder Rylie West and said it has been special to go through four years with someone she has become so close with.
"I remember when she came in, and we kind of talked about this, she was kind of like my little sister and now it's like we're best friends. We go out, we eat, we kick it," Milloy said. "I wouldn't have wanted to do this, battle and build this program and go back to the elite program that it was, with anyone else."
Even though her playing career at Tennessee is over, Milloy said she feels confident the team will continue to push forward and have success in the future.
"I think they're going to take this and run with it. They're not going to feel this way again. They've been there, they've been to the World Series, they've been where our goals are. They know what it feels like," Milloy said. "They've tasted it before. I just have a ton of faith that they're going to carry this program back where it needs to go."
