Texas Softball Wins Pitcher's Duel, Advances to WCWS Final

Teagan Kavan and USA Softbal Player of the Year Nijaree Canady battled for seven innings, but Texas' small ball advances the Longhorn's into the Women's College World Series Championship Series.

Texas pitcher Teagan Kavan, right, celebrates with Reese Atwood, center, and Mia Scott after a Women's College World Series semifinal softball game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Texas Longhorns at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Monday, June 3, 2024. Texas won 1-0. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY

Team captain Alyssa Washington found herself in one of the most confusing situations of her career. With a chance at the Women’s College World Series Championship Series on the line, Washington was stuck in the middle of the basepaths in the final inning of the game with nowhere to go.

With no outs and two runners in scoring position, right fielder Ashton Maloney laid down a bunt in hopes of taking the lead through small ball. Washington ran on contact, but a poor bunt left her stranded in no man's land. After a throw to third baseman Jade Berry, Washington took off for home, closely chased by Berry. 

Berry’s throw came late, and by a miracle Washington was safe, Texas scored the one and only run it needed to defeat the Cardinal and advance to the WCWS Championship Series, winning 1-0 against Stanford.

The main storyline entering tonight’s matchup was the battle between Texas’ freshman pitcher Teagan Kavan and USA Softball’s Collegiate Player of the Year Nijaree Canady for Stanford. Canady was the best in the nation, but concerns over her workload surrounded her name. 289 pitches in 5 days and Canady was prepared to step to the mound with under a day's rest. Was she going to be able to withstand the extremely deep Texas lineup?

The answer was unequivocally yes. After six innings, Texas and Stanford were at an utter stalemate. Neither team had scored a run, with the teams combining for one hit. Kavan had struck out six for the Longhorns, while Canady had struck out seven, but had shown some shades of weakness, allowing four hits.

As the seventh inning rolled around, the number one question on every fan’s mind was,

“Who’s going to mess up first?”

Both teams had played nearly perfect baseball with fantastic defensive outings from both sides, but Stanford was the first, and only of the two teams, to make a mistake.

Washington’s leadoff at-bat lasted one pitch, and it looked like Canady was on a roll again. Washington grounded to second base, but a mix of Washington's speed and an odd bounce led to an error by second baseman Taryn Kern. Washington was on with no outs.

Senior second baseman Joley Mitchell approached the plate, keen on breaking this game open. In a tough battle with the nations best, Mitchell found herself in a 1-2 count, on the backfoot against a superb strikeout hurler. Mitchell’s swing on the 1-2 pitch erupted the crowd, sneaking past the Cardinal shortstop and into the gap. Washington raced to third, and Mitchell advanced to second on the throw. Maloney and Washington did the rest after that.

But Texas was only able to bring Washington in, failing to get on base for the three batters after Mitchell. It was up to Kavan to secure a spot in the finals.

First stepped up Kyra Chan, who had given Kavan problems in earlier at-bats. It was no matter though, as the sophomore left fielder couldn’t catch up and struck out swinging. 

Next was Ava Gall, the team’s at-bat leader and first baseman. She grounded out on the second pitch.

With one out separating the Longhorns from a championship berth, Kavan looked utterly unstoppable. An elite performance needed just one more out to become legendary. 

With catcher Aly Kaneshiro stepping up to the plate, it almost felt inevitable that Kavan would best her. Three pitches later, Kavan’s riser choked Kaneshiro up, forcing a pop-up to the left side.

Third baseman Mia Scott moved quickly, camped under the ball, and secured the ball smoothly like nothing had just happened. But for the rest of the Longhorns who had just realized they had secured a spot in the WCWS Final, celebration ensued.

Catcher Reese Atwood, who fell just short of Canady in POTY voting, embraced Kavan, knowing how special the performance from the freshman was. 

With No. 4 Florida defeating No. 2 Oklahoma early in the day, the two teams will play a deciding match for the final spot in the Championship Series. Will the Longhorns face the team they run ruled a game before in Florida, or will it be a rematch against Oklahoma, the best program of all time, a team that won the World Series two years ago against the Longhorns in the Championship Series, and Texas’ most bitter rival?