Texas Tech punched its ticket to the Women’s College World Series championship series in dramatic fashion after its million-dollar arm nearly had a strong outing come crashing down when Oklahoma hit a game-tying two-run blast in the top of the seventh.
Red Raiders infielder Lauren Allred hit a sac fly to right field that allowed outfielder Mihyia Davis to score from third base, in a dramatic moment that saw Davis charge to the plate and beat out a throw from right field to win the game, 3-2, in Oklahoma City.
The game was one of the most anticipated of the year, with two-time NFCA Pitcher of the Year NiJaree Canady on the hill against Oklahoma, which has won the Women’s College World Series the last four years.
Canady has been one of the most dominant pitchers in Division I college softball and she continued that stretch in Monday’s game against the Sooners,
Canady pitched all seven innings of Monday’s semifinal game, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out eight of the 28 batters she faced.
The Red Raiders starter didn’t allow a hit until the middle of the second inning.
Texas Tech took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second and remained in the lead until the seventh, when Canady found herself with a runner on and two outs with Abigale Dayton at the plate.
Dayton hit a blast to right field to tie the game at two, setting the stage for the Red Raiders’ heroics in the bottom half of the seventh.
Monday’s win marks the first time in program history that Texas Tech will play for a softball national championship, and it comes in Gerry Glasco’s first year as head coach for the Red Raiders.
Prior to Saturday’s game, Canady had entered the game leading all DI softball players in victories with 32 and in ERA with 0.86.
She transferred to Texas Tech after spending last season with Stanford and signed a whopping $1 million NIL deal with Texas Tech’s NIL collective, the Matador Club.
Canady had helped lead Stanford to two consecutive World Series before transferring to Texas Tech.
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