Reese Atwood's clutch hitting, Teagan Kavan's pitching puts Texas one win away from the national championship

Reese Atwood was hitless in the Women’s College World Series entering a crucial at bat. And Texas Tech didn’t even want to give her the opportunity to hit in the bottom of the sixth of the championship series with two runners on. Red Raiders superstar NiJaree Canady appeared to be intentionally walking Atwood. However, Atwood would end up on first base but not as a batter issued a base on balls.

[Sign up for Inside Texas TODAY and get the BEST Longhorns scoop!]

On a 3-0 count with the Red Raiders trying to make it four balls in a row by throwing well above the zone, Atwood recorded her first hit of the WCWS on a riseball chest high. It brought in Kayden Henry and Mia Scott, who had stolen second during the attempt to intentionally walk Atwood, from scoring position, giving the Longhorns a 2-1 lead. It was as if Canady didn’t know how to throw a ball, something that makes sense for the superstar. It held true long enough for Atwood to issue punishment for that hole in her game. Longhorns starter Teagan Kavan, who battled Canady pitch for pitch in an epic duel at Devon Park, shut out Tech in the bottom of the seventh to give Texas a 1-0 lead in the championship series of the WCWS via a 2-1 win.

The Longhorns finally broke through in the sixth against Canady, who was looking for her sixth consecutive 7.0 inning complete game. A shoo-in for All-America honors and likely to repeat as player of the year, Canady only allowed five Longhorns to reach base. But the aggressive baserunning, timely hitting, and Atwood’s clutch single that defended against an intentional walk put Texas ahead in the championship series.

After review, this pitch was obstructed by @atwood_reese bat. #HookEm | 📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/UUGgsJxVsY

— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) June 5, 2025

Considering Canady’s acumen as a pitcher, a controversial call in the fifth that resulted in the Red Raiders’ only run nearly changed the complexion of the championship series. Logan Halleman attempted to steal second base after reaching on an error and was thrown out with ease by Atwood for the second out. However, TTU challenged and shortstop Leighann Goode was ruled to have obstructed Halleman’s path to second base. There was barely a conclusive view of obstruction on the ESPN broadcast, yet the umpires made the decision to say Goode was in the way. Halleman advanced and Goode was issued an error. Two batters later Mihyah Davis looped a single into right center to score Halleman with ease and give the Red Raiders a 1-0 lead.

But Texas was able to respond via Atwood, and Kavan finished her complete game three-hitter to put the Longhorns one win away from their first national championship in softball. It was Kavan’s third 7.0 inning shutout of the WCWS and her 27th win of the season.

The game predicted by many to be a pitcher’s duel started with a chance at a number of runs early. Texas Tech loaded the bases with nobody out in the first and brought Canady to the plate. Canady pulled a ball to Scott at third, who scooped and fired home. Atwood then fired to first for the double play to dampen the threat, and then Kavan fielded a soft grounder and threw to Joley Mitchell at first to escape the threat.

From there, it turned into the expected battle between star hurlers. Texas put its first runner on base in the second when Katie Stewart was hit by a pitch, but she was stranded. Texas Tech stranded one runner in the third after a one-out walk.

The Longhorns struggled to get anything going in other innings against Canady, who the Red Raiders have used as often as her right arm allows while in Oklahoma City. UT recorded its first hit with two outs in the third when Ashton Maloney slapped a single through the left side in her second opportunity versus Canady. Although Maloney advanced to scoring position via a wild pitch during the following at bat, a groundout right back to Canady stranded the only Longhorn baserunner through the first three frames. That continued into the fourth when Texas went down 123, culminating in a Mitchell strikeout.

The only hits from the Longhorns came from the top four hitters in the lineup: Maloney, Henry, Scott, and Atwood. Texas committed four errors throughout the course of the game, resulting in no earned runs for Kavan.

The Longhorns have twice finished as runners up in the WCWS: once in 2022 and then last year in 2024. Texas hardly put up a fight in either instance against Oklahoma, falling in 2-0 sweeps both times.

On Wednesday, Texas made history in winning its first game in a championship series. It did so by overcoming a stellar outing by the projected national player of the year and controversy that put the Red Raiders on the board.

[Order THE LONGHORN ALPHABET today and teach your little ones the A to Z’s of Texas Football!]

It can make history again on Thursday with a win that would secure the program’s first national title.