Latest news with #OklahomaSoftball
New York Times
a day ago
- Business
- New York Times
NiJaree Canady, Texas Tech bring stunning end to Oklahoma softball's dynastic run
OKLAHOMA CITY — We gather here today to say goodbye to the Oklahoma softball dynasty, and hello to the NIL era. Because if Texas Tech just proved anything, it's that you can buy a championship. Last summer, the school spent a million dollars and change to lure the best player in softball to Lubbock, Texas, in hopes of making it to its first-ever Women's College World Series. Advertisement Naturally, NiJaree Canady upped the ante. The junior transfer from Stanford headlined a 3-2 defeat of No. 2 Oklahoma in the Women's College World Series semifinal on Monday. Canady struck out eight batters, allowing four hits, to end the Sooners' pursuit of a fifth straight national championship. Of course, nothing is easy when it comes to facing the Sooners, who gave Canady everything she could handle. In the top of the seventh, Canady was one strike away from shutting out the Sooners, who have not been held scoreless in more than 300 games, since exactly six years ago Monday, per the ESPN broadcast. Then, Oklahoma junior Abigale Dayton stepped up to home plate with everything going against her. The Sooners trailed 2-0. There were two outs. It was the bottom of the seventh. And she was staring down a 0-2 count. Dayton hammered one out of the park, bringing squealing Oklahoma fans to their feet and tying the score at two to give the Sooners life. Believe. — Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 3, 2025 But if the Sooners suggested that if there's one pitch left, there's life, the Red Raiders proved it. Red Raiders redshirt sophomore Lauren Allred hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh to secure Texas Tech's first-ever appearance in the WCWS championship series. Canady, playing in her third WCWS after steering the Cardinal there the past two years, leads the nation with a dumbfounding 0.86 ERA and the Red Raiders with 11 home runs. No. 12 Texas Tech meets No. 6 Texas in the championship series starting Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. Game 2 follows Thursday at 8 p.m. ET and Game 3, if necessary, is slotted for Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. This story will be updated. (Top photo of NiJaree Canady: Nathan J. Fish / The Oklahoman / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Texas defeats 4-time defending champ Oklahoma in Women's CWS; Sooners still alive
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Kayden Henry and Joley Mitchell hit solo home runs to help Texas defeat four-time defending national champion Oklahoma 4-2 in the Women's College World Series on Saturday. Texas (53-11) advanced to the semifinals on Monday and needs just one win to reach the championship series for the third time in four years. Advertisement Oklahoma (51-8) remains alive in the double-elimination format. The Sooners will play Oregon in an elimination game on Sunday. Oklahoma had defeated Texas in the championship series two of the past three years and had won six straight games against the Longhorns overall. Two of Texas pitcher Teagan Kavan's five losses this season were against the Sooners. On Saturday, she allowed just one earned run, scattered seven hits and struck out eight in seven innings to earn the win. Oklahoma pitcher Sam Landry took the loss. She gave up three earned runs and eight hits in six innings. Ella Parker and Gabby Garcia each had two hits for the Sooners. Advertisement Henry's solo shot down the right field line gave Texas a 3-2 lead in the fifth. Oklahoma got a runner to third with two outs in the sixth but did not score. Mitchell's solo blast to left center put the Longhorns up 4-2 in the bottom of the inning. Oklahoma tried to extend the game and had runners on first and second with one out, but Kavan struck out Garcia and Hannah Coor swinging to end the game. ___ AP college sports:
Associated Press
3 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Texas defeats 4-time defending champ Oklahoma in Women's CWS; Sooners still alive
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Kayden Henry and Joley Mitchell hit solo home runs to help Texas defeat four-time defending national champion Oklahoma 4-2 in the Women's College World Series on Saturday. Texas (53-11) advanced to the semifinals on Monday and needs just one win to reach the championship series for the third time in four years. Oklahoma (51-8) remains alive in the double-elimination format. The Sooners will play Oregon in an elimination game on Sunday. Oklahoma had defeated Texas in the championship series two of the past three years and had won six straight games against the Longhorns overall. Two of Texas pitcher Teagan Kavan's five losses this season were against the Sooners. On Saturday, she allowed just one earned run, scattered seven hits and struck out eight in seven innings to earn the win. Oklahoma pitcher Sam Landry took the loss. She gave up three earned runs and eight hits in six innings. Ella Parker and Gabby Garcia each had two hits for the Sooners. Henry's solo shot down the right field line gave Texas a 3-2 lead in the fifth. Oklahoma got a runner to third with two outs in the sixth but did not score. Mitchell's solo blast to left center put the Longhorns up 4-2 in the bottom of the inning. Oklahoma tried to extend the game and had runners on first and second with one out, but Kavan struck out Garcia and Hannah Coor swinging to end the game. ___ AP college sports:
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What channel is Texas vs Oklahoma softball today? Time, TV schedule for WCWS game
USA TODAY and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article. Pricing and availability subject to change. It's Red River Rivalry time in the 2025 Women's College World Series. No. 6 Texas and No. 2 Oklahoma will square off in the winner's bracket of the WCWS from Devon Field in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, presenting a rematch of the 2024 championship series. With a win, either team would move that much closer to booking a return to the end-of-tournament series to determine the national champion. Advertisement The Longhorns used a dominant start from Teagan Kavan to earn a 3-0 victory over No. 3 Florida, while Ella Parker delivered a three-run walk-off home run off Karlyn Pickens and No. 7 Tennessee to steal a win. Patty Gasso and the Sooners are looking to earn a fifth straight championship. Here's what you need to know about Saturday's WCWS winner's bracket game between rivals Texas and Oklahoma: Stream Texas vs. Oklahoma with ESPN+ What channel is Texas vs Oklahoma softball on today? TV channel: ABC Streaming: ESPN app | ESPN+ Texas and Oklahoma's winner's bracket game will air on ABC. Streaming options include the ESPN app (with a cable login) and ESPN+, the latter of which is ESPN's subscription service. Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Jessica Mendoza (analyst) and Michele Smith (analyst) will be on the call, with Holly Rowe serving as the sideline reporter. Texas vs Oklahoma softball start time Date: Saturday, May 31 Time: 3 p.m. ET Advertisement First pitch for Texas and Oklahoma's winner's bracket game is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET from Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Texas softball schedule 2025 Below is Texas' postseason schedule. For the Longhorns' full schedule, click here. Austin Regional Friday, May 16: No. 6 Texas 10, Eastern Illinois 2 Saturday, May 17: No. 6 Texas, Michigan 4 Sunday, May 18: No. 6 Texas 9, UCF 0 Austin Super Regional Thursday, May 22: No. 11 Clemson 7, No. 6 Texas 4 Friday, May 23: No. 6 Texas 7, No. 11 Clemson 5 Saturday, May 24: No. 6 Texas 6,No. 11 Clemson 5 Women's College World Series Thursday, May 29: No. 6 Texas 3, No. 3 Florida 0 Saturday, May 31: No. 6 Texas vs. No. 2 Oklahoma (3 p.m.) Oklahoma softball schedule 2025 Below is Oklahoma's postseason schedule. For the Sooners' full schedule, click here. Norman Regional: Friday, May 16: No. 2 Oklahoma 8, Boston College 0 Saturday, May 17: No. 2 Oklahoma 11, Cal 2 Sunday, May 18: No. 2 Oklahoma 12, Cal 1 Normal Super Regional: Friday, May 23: No. 2 Oklahoma 3, No. 15 Alabama 0 Saturday, May 24: No. 2 Oklahoma 13, No. 15 Alabama 2 Women's College World Series: Thursday, May 29: No. 2 Oklahoma 4, No. 7 Tennessee 3 Saturday, May 31: No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 Texas (3 p.m.) Women's College World Series schedule Women's College World Series: May 29-June 6 WCWS finals: June 4-5/6 The Women's College World Series will run from May 29 through June 6, with the three-game WCWS finals taking place from June 4 through June 5 or June 6, depending on whether teams need the "if necessary" game. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas vs Oklahoma softball today: TV channel, time for WCWS game
New York Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
No. 2 Oklahoma overcomes early woes, downs No. 7 Tennessee on Ella Parker's walk-off homer in WCWS
Sooners ace Sam Landry had a feeling she couldn't quite put her finger on heading into No. 2 Oklahoma's first game against No. 7 Tennessee in the Women's College World Series. 'Something's gonna happen,' she remembered thinking. But through most of the game, nothing did — for Oklahoma, at least. The Sooners were trailing 3-1 with two outs and runners on first and third in the bottom of the seventh staring down a Friday game in the loser's bracket. That was until sophomore Ella Parker hammered a walk-off home run, her second of the game, over Devon Park's center-field wall off Tennessee's star pitcher Karlyn Pickens. Advertisement '(I) just understand to keep passing the bat,' Parker said postgame. 'I wasn't trying to make any moment too big.' Oklahoma won 4-3, earning an off day before playing No. 6 Texas on Saturday. Tennessee faces No. 3 Florida on Friday night in an elimination game. 'That was a gut punch,' Tennessee coach Karen Weekly said. 'We play Florida tomorrow. One team's going home. It's going to come down to which team can flush today the quickest.' ELLA PARKER WALKS IT OFF ‼️#WCWS x 🎥 ESPN / @OU_Softball — NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 29, 2025 The game felt like Tennessee's for the taking until the top of the seventh when Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso saw fans starting to leave the stadium and said she shared that with the team. 'People thought we were done,' she said. 'One thing, if you watched us through the season, we're never done.' Momentum started tilting out of Tennessee's favor in later innings as Oklahoma ramped up its defense, and fully shifted when Oklahoma turned a clutch double play with bases loaded to maintain the 3-1 deficit heading into its final turn at-bat. It was the Sooners' third double play of the game, and set the stage for their comeback. 'We work on double plays all the time so they're fun to turn in the game,' Landry said. 'They're definitely a momentum changer.' The Sooners gave up three runs throughout the first three innings but held the Volunteers scoreless after that. '(The Sooners) love, love defense so much that my shoulder, knee everything is falling apart because we just have to hit them ground balls constantly,' Gasso said. 'They're all great hitters but if you ask them what they like better they'll say defense. They believe, and I believe, defense wins championships.' third DP of the day 🔄 Three outs to work with. 📺ESPN — Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) May 29, 2025 Tennessee's Pickens retired two of the first three batters of the seventh inning. All game long, Pickens — who threw the fastest softball pitch in NCAA history last week with a 79.4 mile-per-hour flamer against Nebraska — was easily throwing 75 mph fastballs and the Sooners struggled at the plate for most of the game. Advertisement Gasso said to prepare for Pickens, the team set their pitching machines to nearly 80 mph in practice. 'You see the same thing out of Karlyn all seven innings. Karlyn is as steady as they come,' Weekly said. 'She's a warrior. Ninety nine times out of 100, she wins that game.' On Pickens' second pitch to her fourth batter of the seventh, Oklahoma's Kasidi Pickering hit a single that pushed Ailana Agbayani to third base before Parker brought it home — literally. Parker and Pickering lead the Sooners with a .418 and .409 batting average, respectively. They both rank second and third, respectively, on the team in RBIs. Pickens struck out eight and allowed five hits on 129 pitches. Landry threw 139 pitches, tallied two strikeouts and allowed eight hits. Oklahoma has yet to lose a game in this year's playoffs, escaping the regional round with three straight wins and then besting No. 15 Alabama in a straight set in the super regionals. Its pursuit of its fifth straight championship with its 14 newcomers now continues Saturday. 'Winning the first game sets you up. It's really, really important and I think this team doesn't even know that,' Gasso said.
