UT’s Weekly calls Panell’s handshake accusation ‘outright lie’

OKLAHOMA CITY — Texas Tech third baseman Taylor Pannell said after Tennessee’s 2-1 victory in extra innings Saturday at the WCWS that Volunteers coach Karen Weekly told her she made a mistake transferring from Tennessee.

“We were walking through the [handshake] line, and she said that I made a mistake instead of saying, ‘Good game,’ which is kind of crazy,” Pannell said. “Like, celebrate with your team. I just think it’s funny she’s still thinking about it. It’s old news. Whatever.”

Weekly called the accusation “an outright lie,” according to Knox News.

“If you rewatch the tape of the handshake line, you’re going to see me go just as fast by her as anybody else,” Weekly said. “I didn’t even know where she was in the handshake line. … I said, ‘Good game’ like I said to every other player.”

Pannell sent the game to extra innings after scoring on a sacrifice fly. She was initially ruled out, but a review showed that catcher Elsa Morrison missed the tag.

Emma Clarke won the game for the Vols with a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco said he didn’t see what had occurred between Pannell and Weekly.

“I thought everything was normal,” he said. “It happened behind me. So, I don’t know exactly what happened.”

Pannell earned first-team All-SEC honors for the Vols last year and was a second-team All-Big 12 selection for the Red Raiders this season.

Texas Tech will face UCLA in an elimination game Sunday.