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Canady blanks Ole Miss, leads Texas Tech to first WCWS win

Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 7.46.34 PMby: Brady Vernon05/30/25BradyVernon
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Crash Kamon/Softball America

NiJaree Canady flirted with a perfect game, retiring the first 16 batters she faced. While Ole Miss did get a baserunner, Canady shut out the Rebels, leading Texas Tech to a 1-0 win, its first Women’s College World Series victory in program history.

Aliyah Binford matched Canady for most of the first half of the game until Texas Tech got things rolling in the fourth.

Lauren Allred finally found the game’s first hit in the fourth inning, poking a soft liner down the left-field line. That’s all it took to get the bats going. Alana Johnson, as she has during the postseason, came through again. She curled a ball just fair that went into the left field corner and under the glove of Ole Miss left fielder Jaden Pone. That allowed Allred to score from first and put Johnson at third.

“She’s a clutch player, and she’s worked really hard to be able to improve her ability to time pitches,” Texas Tech head coach Gerry Glasco said. “And I thought it was really important, first at-bat, she was a little off time there, wasn’t patient, and then she made some really good adjustments in the second one. That was huge.

We all know that one was huge. So I was really proud of her. She’s really been getting RBIs for us here the last, oh, third of the season. Probably leading our team here the last 15 games. So just another clutch moment for her.”

Texas Tech continued to threaten. Canady hit a ball back at Binford, who caught Johnson in a rundown. Initially, Johnson was tagged out at third, but after review, the umpire crew ruled obstruction, putting runners at first and third. Demi Elder had a swinging bunt for a single, but Binford got Victoria Valdez to ground into an inning-ending double play.

After a diving check from Mihyia Davis in center field, Ole Miss finally broke through with its first hit in the sixth. Angelina DeLeon singled up the middle. Taylor Malvin hit a harder liner toward Bailey Lindemuth at third base. The freshman made a leaping effort, but the ball squirted out of her glove.

The Rebels had something going with the top of the order due up. Canady set Pone down looking on third pitches and retired Lair Beautae via a foul out.

Canady allowed the two hits without a free pass and struck out 10 batters.

“Yeah, it’s amazing. Actually, Lauren was just saying it’s my first time too,” said Canady, who for the first time in her career won’t go through the loser’s bracket. “So it was definitely a goal of mine just to come back, have a day off tomorrow. So definitely huge. To be able to give this team a rest I feel like is going to be really good.”

Texas Tech will play the winner of Oregon/UCLA on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Ole Miss faces the loser of Game Four in an elimination game on Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

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