Women's College World Series: Texas stuns Oklahoma with 4-2 win over the defending champs
The road to a fifth straight NCAA softball title for Oklahoma just got a lot steeper. The No. 2-seeded Sooners were defeated, 4-2, by No. 6 Texas on Saturday in a matchup of two of the top teams in the country.
The Longhorns struck first with two runs in the first inning. Sophomore outfielder Kayden Henry got the first run by stealing second and later stealing home.
Advertisement
But then Oklahoma came alive in the second inning, scoring two of its own and capitalizing on a Texas error.
But that changed in the fifth inning, when Texas took a 3-2 lead on a solo homer from Henry.
Texas added to its lead with another solo homer in the sixth inning, this time from first baseman Joley Mitchell.
Oklahoma had one more chance to rebound, but Longhorns ace Teagan Kavan struck out the final two batters to close out the complete game and finish with eight strikeouts.
Texas will now move on to a game Monday against the winner of Tennessee vs. the loser of Texas Tech vs. UCLA. Oklahoma, meanwhile, will play Oregon on Sunday — with a win absolutely necessary if the Sooners want to stay alive.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jen Pawol made her MLB umpire debut amid unprecedented scrutiny -- and held up just fine
Yes, Jen Pawol made history by becoming the first woman to umpire a Major League Baseball game and, on Sunday, Aug. 10, she was the first to call balls and strikes behind home plate. In any era, that would be significant. Yet in this modern landscape of Statcast strike zones and umpire ratings, and the scrutiny of thousands of social media naysayers, every pitch Pawol called would be parsed and graded in a manner that simply didn't exist a decade or two ago. And just how did Pawol do in arbitrating the Atlanta Braves-Miami Marlins clash Sunday in Atlanta? Pretty darn well. Pawol called 93% of balls and strikes correctly, according to Umpire Scorecards, which places her in the bottom third of umpire performance this season, but very much in line with her peers. Pawol, 48, brought more than 1,200 games of minor league experience to her fill-in assignment, necessitated because the Marlins and Braves played a weekend doubleheader, disrupting the usual umpire rotation. She called 140 of 151 balls and strikes correctly, according to Umpire Scorecards, which simulates every pitch 500 times and, using a dizzying array of factors, aims to create what it calls "interpretability, validity, practicality, and fairness." Pawol's 92.72% hit rate puts her nose-to-nose with a bevy of full-time MLB umpires, including veterans Laz Diaz (92.64%) and CB Bucknor (92.85), who tend to draw the ire of fans, along with the more anonymous Bruce Dreckman (92.76) and Carlos Torres (93.13%). The median percentage for all umpires this season is 94%, or, Pawol's percentage had two more calls been determined correct. Edwin Jimenez, also a Class AAA fill-in umpire in his third year calling balls and strikes in the majors, leads all umpires with 96.48% accuracy in 19 plate assignments. In fact, the 16 Triple-A fill-ins have acquitted themselves quite well, producing a 94.46 median in 10 games. Pawol? She's umped one game, a sample size statistically insignificant as far as assessing her performance. Yet in the most important metric – did the home plate umpire impact the game? – Pawol did just fine, "favoring" the Marlins by 0.28 runs, per Umpire Scorecards. The Braves won the game 7-1. You might say, then, that Pawol earned the greatest compliment an ump could receive: Other than her trailblazing distinction, you'd have hardly noticed her. "We certainly didn't call her up from A-ball, right?" said Marlins starter Cal Quantrill, per "I'm sure she was well-prepared, and I think part of the game moving forward is if this is normal, then we're gonna treat it normal, too. I thought it was fine, and I think she did a quality job. "She should be very proud of herself, and it's kind of a cool little thing to be a part of it. But yeah, just another day." One that figures to be repeated. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jen Pawol's umpire scorecard: How'd she do in MLB debut?
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
ESPN, Fox to bundle upcoming streaming services in new sports-heavy deal
(Reuters) -Upcoming streaming services of ESPN and Fox will be bundled for $39.99 per month starting October 2, the companies said on Monday, offering sports fans a wide range of major events including the NFL and NBA at a discounted rate. The bundle is the first significant deal involving major sports rights holders after Disney, Fox and Warner Bros Discovery abandoned plans to launch their live sports joint venture, Venu Sports, after it ran into substantial legal opposition. Media companies are pairing their streaming services to offer bundled deals and boost customer stickiness, as viewers face steep price hikes and an overload of choice. The new package brings together Fox One, which offers Fox's sports, news, and entertainment content, and ESPN's new direct-to-consumer network, featuring professional and college football and basketball games. Both platforms are launching on August 21. "We continue to look for opportunities to streamline the user experience, especially for the ultimate sports fan," said Tony Billetter, senior vice president, strategy and business development at Fox Direct to Consumer. Fox's new subscription-based service is expected to help the company expand its audience beyond the mainstay cable television business.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
NBA schedule release: Dates forthcoming for Rockets' 2025-26 season
As expected, this is the week for the NBA's announcement of its complete schedule for the 2025-26 regular season. The lone exception will be two games that are to be determined (TBD) at a later date, pending results from group-stage games in the Emirates NBA Cup 2025. With a roster headlined by newly acquired superstar Kevin Durant, the Houston Rockets already know they'll be playing on opening night, October 21, and on Christmas Day, December 25. Now, over the next three days, the Rockets will learn 78 more game dates. From the NBA's website: Tune in to Good Morning America and The TODAY Show on Tuesday morning — then stay tuned for more throughout the week — as the NBA Schedule Release presented by Ticketmaster begins. The regular-season schedule will include dates and opponents for 80 of each team's 82 games, along with two games designated as TBD dates and opponents as part of the Emirates NBA Cup. Follow along across the NBA App and NBA social media all week for more information on the new schedule. ABC and NBC are two of the league's primary television partners, so it makes business sense that the morning shows on those networks will get some early leaks. Along with game dates, this week's schedule will also include tipoff times and initial national television assignments. For Durant and the new-look Rockets, expect plenty of those spotlight games, as already shown by the league's opening night and Christmas lineups. More: 2025 NBA Cup draw: Rockets grouped with Nuggets, Warriors, Trail Blazers, Spurs This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: NBA schedule release: Dates forthcoming for Rockets' 2025-26 season
