Texas Tech scored fifth-inning runs on a hit batter and a wild pitch and NiJaree Canady threw a complete game as the No. 12 Red Raiders remained alive with a 4-3 victory over No. 6 Texas in Game 2 of the Women’s College World Series at Oklahoma City on Thursday night.
Texas Tech (54-13) and Texas (55-12) will meet again Friday night for the WCWS title. It will be the first national crown for the winner.
Mihyia Davis went 2-for-4 for the Red Raiders and reached on an error in the sixth inning that plated the game’s final run.
Canady (34-6) gave up three runs (two earned), six hits and two walks while striking out six. She also pitched a complete game in Game 1 when the Red Raiders lost 2-1.
Mia Scott homered and reached base three times on two hits and a walk for the Longhorns.
Texas made a charge in the top of the seventh as Katie Stewart reached on an error by Texas Tech shortstop Hailey Toney and Canady hit Victoria Hunter with a pitch. Leighann Goode followed with a run-scoring double off the glove of diving left fielder Demi Elder.
Pinch hitter Katie Cimusz followed with a sacrifice fly to score Hunter. But Canady then retired Ashton Maloney on a grounder and struck out Kayden Henry to end it.
Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco said postgame, “Last night was a test for us, and we’re growing from everything that happens to us. I told them after the game last night, ‘We learn 10 times more when we lose than when we win,’ and we learned so much last night.
“I think bottom of the seventh, up 4-2 and our determination and the way we reacted there at the end was a testament to the toughness they are acquiring by playing these tough battles.”
It was a scoreless game until the Red Raiders scored twice in the fifth inning against Texas reliever Cambria Salmon (7-2).
Raegan Jennings led off with a pinch-hit single, Davis ripped a one-out double into the gap in left center before Toney hit a short pop fly to Salmon for the second out. Lauren Allred then walked to load the bases.
Salmon got ahead 0-2 on Alana Johnson but eventually hit her to force in Jennings. Then Salmon threw a wild pitch on the first toss to Alexa Langeliers and Davis scored to make it 2-0.
The left-handed hitting Scott trimmed the Texas deficit in half with one out in the sixth when she sent a pitch from Canady over the wall in left center.
The Red Raiders had runners on first and third with one out in the bottom of the inning when Texas ace Teagan Kavan entered.
Bailey Lindemuth hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Makalya Garcia and Davis followed with the grounder that first baseman J. Mitchell misplayed for an error and a 4-1 Texas Tech lead.
In the fourth inning, Texas star Reese Atwood then narrowly missed a two-run homer as her fly was just a few feet wide of the left field foul pole.
Mac Morgan pitched the first two innings for Texas and gave up two hits and one walk. Salmon allowed two runs, three hits, one walk and fanned one in three innings.
The start of the contest was delayed approximately 50 minutes due to heavy rain.
Looking ahead to the finale on Friday, Glasco said, “I think that it’s going to be a real, real good game. I think that you can expect it to be a battle. … I think my kids got some confidence tonight, and I expect the momentum really to be in our dugout at the beginning of the game.”
–Field Level Media
