Texas Tech evens WCWS, sets up winner-take-all showdown vs Texas Longhorns softball Friday
Texas Tech evens WCWS, sets up winner-take-all showdown vs Texas Longhorns softball Friday
Texas softball coach Mike White tried to win Game 2 of the Women's College World Series without having to use Longhorns ace pitcher Teagan Kavan. Or at least save her for a possible late save. Instead, Longhorns pitchers made key mistakes resulting in a Red Raiders win to even the final best-of-three series at 1-1.
The bad omens may have started early for Texas. The game was delayed almost an hour by inclement weather.
Once the game started, UT pitchers Mac Morgan and Cambria Salmon managed to work out of several jams in the first four innings. But in the fifth, Tech loaded the bases against Salmon, who then hit Alana Johnson and then threw a wild pitch to give the Red Raiders a 2-0 lead.
The Horns got one back in the top of the sixth on a Mia Scott home run to lead off the inning.
UT pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez put two on in the bottom of the inning thanks to some sloppy fielding behind her. A Joley Mitchell throwing error put runners at second and third with one out. Smith turned to Kavan to hopefully stop the bleeding. Instead, a sacrifice fly to center and Mitchell's second error of the inning ballooned the Tech lead to 4-1.
The Longhorns put together the beginnings of a rally in the top of the seventh, scoring two runs on a Leighann Goode double and a Katie Cimusz sac fly. But it was too little too late. Red Raiders ace NiJaree Canady struck out Kayden Henry to end the game.
Canady pitched her second complete game of the Championship series. In fact, Canady has thrown every pitch for the Red Raiders from the beginning of the Super Regionals on.
Now there is just one decisive game for the national championship. Game 3 is a winner-take-all duel between aces Canady for Texas Tech and Kavan for Texas. First pitch will be Friday at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.
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