Texas Tech Shocks Oklahoma, Ends Four-Year Reign in Women's College World Series
Texas Tech secured a stunning 3-2 victory over Oklahoma in the semifinals of the Women's College World Series on Monday night, ending the Sooners' four-year championship streak. Lauren Allred's walk-off sacrifice fly clinched the win for the Red Raiders.
In a nail-biting seventh inning, Oklahoma (52-9) found themselves on the brink of elimination. Abigale Dayton, facing a two-strike count, delivered a game-tying two-run homer off Texas Tech's ace, NiJaree Canady. This marked only her third home run of the season, igniting hopes for the Sooners.
However, Texas Tech (53-12) quickly countered. Mihyia Davis led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, followed by Hailey Toney's double. Allred then lifted a fly ball to right field; Sydney Barker's throw to home plate was off-target, allowing Davis to score and seal the game.
“Congratulations to Texas Tech,” said Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso. “They earned that. They played well. They hit well. They pitched well. So well deserved.”
Gerry Glasco, head coach of Texas Tech, emphasized the importance of mental resilience after his team relinquished their lead. “We don't want it to be easy,” he remarked. “It's Oklahoma. You knew it wasn't going to be easy. Let's go to work right here, win this right here in the bottom of the seventh.”
This victory propels Texas Tech into its first-ever championship series, where they will face Texas in a best-of-three matchup starting Wednesday. The Longhorns are making their third finals appearance in four years, having previously lost to Oklahoma in 2022 and 2024.
Sam Landry, who was the top pick in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League draft, took the loss despite a strong performance. Glasco had coached Landry at Louisiana last season, and both Allred and Davis transferred from there to Texas Tech.
After the game, Glasco and Landry shared an emotional embrace. “It's bittersweet,” Landry expressed. “I wished him luck going forward. Neither one of us wanted to be where we met in the postseason. Super happy for them. That's a lot of my old teammates. I'm glad they're getting to experience it.”
Canady, who lost her shutout but earned the win, is a two-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association Pitcher of the Year and was named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year last season. After transferring from Stanford, she signed a lucrative name, image, and likeness deal worth over $1 million with Texas Tech.
“I think people doubted us, didn't think we'd get to this point,” Canady stated. “I think we just didn't have any pressure on us, just wanted to go play softball.”
Oklahoma had been on a nine-game elimination streak but faced challenges this season with a roster featuring nine freshmen and only three seniors. Gasso remains optimistic about the future of her team.
“We're standing at the World Series as one of the top three teams left, with a team of 14 newcomers,” Gasso noted. “I just shared with them in the locker room how much fun I had coaching them, watching them grow, watching them be hungry, watching them never quit.”
