Saturday’s action at the Women’s College World Series (WCWS) provided softball fans with a mix of intense drama, clutch performances, and a historic upset. With a pair of high-stakes matchups, the day was filled with plenty of excitement as the Texas Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders both pulled off key victories to advance to the semifinals.
Texas Topples Oklahoma in Red River Rivalry Showdown
The Red River Rivalry took center stage on Saturday, as No. 6-seeded Texas delivered a 4-2 victory over No. 2-seeded Oklahoma. The win not only sent the Longhorns to the semifinals but also marked a historic first in program history—Texas had never before defeated the Sooners in an NCAA tournament game. The victory was especially sweet for head coach Mike White, whose team had been 0-7 against Oklahoma in postseason play until now.
“It’s so exciting to finally beat the Sooners in Oklahoma for the first time since I’ve been with the program,” White said after the game. “They’re such a tough team year in and year out, and they didn’t go away this time either. We scored two, they scored two.”
The star of the game was Texas sophomore pitcher Teagan Kavan, who was in control from the start. Kavan, who had struggled against the Sooners in the regular season, kept Oklahoma’s potent offense in check, allowing just two earned runs on seven hits while striking out eight batters. Kavan’s composure in the final moments was critical. With two runners on base and the game hanging in the balance, she struck out back-to-back Sooners to close out the game.
“We didn’t help her early on, but she battled through and kept her mind in the game and really was a warrior for us throughout the game,” White added.
Texas came out swinging early, capitalizing on aggressive baserunning. Senior infielder Mia Scott and sophomore outfielder Kayden Henry provided a spark in the first inning, with Henry stealing home to put the Longhorns up 1-0. Scott advanced to third during the play, and after a sacrifice fly from junior catcher Reese Atwood, Texas had a 2-0 lead.
Oklahoma responded swiftly in the second inning, tying the game at 2-2. A timely RBI single and a run scored on a fielder’s choice helped the Sooners bounce back. But from that point forward, it was all Texas. In the fifth inning, Henry delivered a clutch line-drive home run to give the Longhorns a 3-2 lead. Graduate infielder Joley Mitchell, who had been a force all week, added an insurance run in the sixth with her third home run in as many games, extending the lead to 4-2.
Kavan entered the seventh inning with a two-run cushion, and despite a rocky start—giving up a hit and hitting a batter—she regained her composure and finished strong. After striking out two batters to seal the win, Kavan had earned her spot as the hero of the game.
“I would pick this team in every single lifetime,” Mitchell said. “I’m proud of the way we came out today… We went up there and were being selective and disciplined at the plate and just making things happen.”
Now, Texas will look to build on this momentum as they head to the semifinals on June 2.
Oklahoma, on the other hand, found itself unable to capitalize on its chances. The Sooners stranded four runners in the final three innings, ultimately leaving nine runners on base for the game. Head coach Patty Gasso acknowledged the missed opportunities.
“The biggest issue that is circled on the paper is nine runners left on base, and that cannot happen against a good team like Texas,” Gasso said. “We had a couple of those opportunities that could have changed, but didn’t.”
Oklahoma struggled with its approach at the plate against Kavan, who kept the Sooners off balance all day. Outfielder Abby Dayton pointed out the lack of adjustments to Kavan’s pitches outside the strike zone.
“We had to work on making swinging at first pitches that were coming through the plate,” Dayton said. “There were many balls that we were swinging at that we don’t normally swing at.”
Despite the struggles, the Sooners still had their chances. Key opportunities included third baseman Nelly McEnroe-Marinas striking out with two runners on in the second inning. The Sooners now face an elimination game against Oregon, where they’ll need to regroup and capitalize on their opportunities to stay alive.
Texas Tech’s Resilience Prevails Over UCLA
In the second game of the day, Texas Tech found itself in a pitchers’ duel against UCLA. Both teams struggled to generate offense early, with Texas Tech’s NiJaree Canady and UCLA’s Taylor Tinsley trading zeroes for four innings. Canady, the 2025 NFCA Pitcher of the Year, was on point all night, finishing with seven strikeouts while allowing just four hits and one earned run. Her effort helped the Red Raiders hold off UCLA’s attack and secure a 3-1 victory.
The game remained scoreless until the top of the fifth inning when a flash of daring base running gave Texas Tech the lead. With two runners in scoring position, pinch runner Makayla Garcia stole home after UCLA catcher Alexis Ramirez wasn’t paying attention to the runner. The move caught the Bruins off guard, and the Red Raiders had a 1-0 advantage.
Garcia, who had been told by head coach Gerry Glasco to take the risk, reflected on the key moment after the game.
“Coach Glasco told me we’re gonna go, and we’re gonna take a chance and I had to trust him in that moment,” Garcia said. “It got us the momentum in the dugout to let NiJa do her thing and then let our offense take confidence at the plate.”
UCLA responded quickly with a solo home run from Kaniya Bragg in the bottom of the fifth, tying the game at 1-1. But Texas Tech wasn’t deterred. In the top of the sixth, Hailey Toney delivered a clutch two-out home run, sending a ball over the right field wall to give the Red Raiders a 2-1 lead.
In the seventh, Texas Tech added some insurance. An RBI single from Raegan Jennings scored Alana Johnson, making it 3-1, and giving Canady some breathing room heading into the final frame.
UCLA mounted a rally in the seventh with back-to-back singles, but Canady struck out the next batter and got a groundout to end the game and secure the victory for Texas Tech.
The Red Raiders’ victory marks their first trip to the semifinals in the WCWS, and they become just the third team in the tournament’s history to start 2-0 in their debut.
“We knew the pressure was on us, but we stayed resilient,” Canady said. “We just took it one pitch at a time.”
Texas Tech now awaits the winner of the Oklahoma-Oregon matchup, and they will look to carry the momentum from this gritty victory into the semifinals. UCLA will face Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, with the winner getting a shot at Texas and the loser heading home.
Looking Ahead
With both Texas and Texas Tech advancing, the road to the championship is becoming clearer. For Texas, their victory over Oklahoma was a historic one, while Texas Tech’s clutch performance shows they are a team to be reckoned with. The upcoming semifinal games will undoubtedly bring more excitement, as both teams look to continue their runs toward the championship. As to who they’ll face in those games…that will be decided on Sunday. Stay tuned for what promises to be a thrilling continuation of the Women’s College World Series.
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