OKLAHOMA CITY — NiJaree Canady scattered six hits and pitched her way out of a seventh-inning jam, and Texas Tech forced a decisive third game in the Women’s College World Series championship finals with a 4-3 victory over Texas on Thursday night at OGE Energy Park at Devon Field.
Friday night’s showdown matches programs looking for their first national title. For the first time since 2021 — when Oklahoma won two of three against Florida State and began a run of four straight national championships — the WCWS finals will not be a sweep.
Canady had allowed a go-ahead, two-run single by Texas while trying to walk the Longhorns’ Reese Atwood in the sixth inning of a 2-1 loss in the WCWS finals opener Wednesday. She again went the distance for the Red Raiders, the Big 12 regular-season and tournament champions who are 9-1 overall in this NCAA Division I tournament.
Canady has pitched every inning from the super regional round on and carried a 4-1 lead into the seventh inning Thursday against the Southeastern Conference’s Longhorns, who moved over from the Big 12 this season and were national runners-up to rival Oklahoma in 2022 and last year.
Texas hitter Katie Stewart reached on an error by the shortstop, though, and Canady hit Victoria Hunter to put runners on first and second with no outs. Leighann Goode doubled to left center, scoring Stewart and moving Hunter to third. Pinch-hitter Katie Cimusz lined out to left field, allowing Hunter to come home and cut the deficit to 4-3.
However, Canady — playing in her third straight WCWS after reaching the past two years with Stanford before transferring — got Ashton Mahoney to ground out and struck out Kayden Henry to end the game. This is the first WCWS in program history for the Red Raiders.
“Last night was a test for us, and we’re growing from everything that happens to us,” Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco said. “I told them after the game last night we learn 10 times more when we lose than when we win. We learned so much last night, and I think the bottom of seventh, our fortitude and our determination and the way we reacted there at the end was a testament to the toughness they’re acquiring by playing these tough battles.”
Mac Morgan started in the circle for Texas and pitched two scoreless innings. Cambria Salmon entered and worked two scoreless before running into trouble in the fifth, when Texas Tech loaded the bases with two outs. Salmon then hit Alana Johnson with a pitch to score Raegan Jennings from third and then thew a wild pitch that scored Mihya Davis, giving the Red Raiders a 2-0 lead.
The Longhorns answered in the sixth on a solo home run to left center to make it 2-1.
Texas Tech responded in its half of the sixth off Longhorns reliever Citlay Gutierrez. Demi Elder drew a walk, then Victoria Valdez reached on a throwing error that allowed pinch runner Mikayla Garcia to advance to third base. Bailey Lindermuth greeted reliever Teagan Kavan with a sacrifice fly to score Garcia, and Davis reached on a fielding error that brought home Valdez.
“An exciting game. A tough finish to it,” Texas coach Mike White said. “Getting down against NiJa 4-1, we made a good fight to come back, but we got down with some uncharacteristic errors there and some missed plays that they took advantage of, some good base running and everything else.
“We’ve got to come back now and face NiJa again for sure, and we’re going to have to kind of work really hard to get some runs and then obviously shut them down as well.”