As Texas softball walked into Devon Park for the second game of the Women’s College World Series after taking the first game against Texas Tech, the Longhorns hoped the night would end in a rain of confetti, with the trophy in their arms on the flight back to Austin.
Instead, the Longhorns will have to spend another night in Oklahoma City after the Raiders took game two of the series, 3-4, to force another game in a winner-takes-all situation.
Defenses win championships, but they can lose them, too.
Down by just one run in the bottom of the sixth inning, the wheels came off the Texas defense due to uncharacteristic, costly errors and miscommunication from the infielders. A fumbled toss by junior utility Kaydee Bennett to graduate first baseman Joley Mitchell put the Red Raiders on the corners with no outs.
Desperate to stop Texas Tech from extending its lead even further, sophomore ace Teagan Kavan was sent into the circle to replace junior Citlaly Gutierrez, even though head coach Mike White originally intended to rest up Kavan for a potential game three.
However, it was to no avail. The Red Raiders scored two more runs off a pop fly and an error by Mitchell to bring the score to 4-1.
Unknowingly so, the excruciatingly lengthy inning hit the nail on the coffin for the Longhorns in the game.
“I think we beat ourselves at the end of the day,” junior utility Leighann Goode said. “Coach White always says, ‘Bend, but don’t break,’ and we broke down, so what happened, happened, but (we need to come) out tomorrow and band together as a defense.”
Texas was now down by three runs with its last three outs. The Longhorns refused to quit, and the batters came out fighting for a nail-biting seventh inning.
After a pitch hit and a walk by Texas Tech’s junior star pitcher NiJaree Canady, Texas had runners on first and second. Goode blasted a double to score sophomore infielder Katie Stewart. Building on the sudden explosive momentum, senior infielder Katie Cimusz lined out to left field, bringing sophomore designated player Victoria Hunter to home plate.
Goode was left stranded at third base after Henry was struck out by Canady to end the game, squandering any hopes of a legendary comeback.
After a grueling loss at the hands of a failed intentional walk, Canady was relentless in the circle for the Red Raiders. She struck out six Longhorns, keeping any offensive momentum from forming until the seventh.
Texas found its rhythm too late, ending in costly errors and a hard loss. To win, the Texas offense must give Kavan, who will most likely start in the circle for tomorrow’s game, efficient run support.
“We want this really bad,” Stewart said. “Both teams want to make history. It’s just whoever wants it more.”
The Longhorns will return to Devon Park tomorrow in game three of the series with the chance for a national title on their shoulders.
“For me, at least, we may have lost this game, but I’m still smiling because we get another opportunity to go out there and win, and I think this team is just so excited to get out there again,” Cimusz said. “I mean, especially my class, we’ve done this three times, and we don’t want to lose it a third time. So I think all of us just have that fire in us to win it.”
