In the first game of the Women’s College World Series, No. 1 seed Texas defeated Stanford 4-0 with a phenomenal pitching performance from freshman Teagan Kavan. Kavan struck out eight batters and walked four in seven innings, outshining Stanford’s NiJaree Canady, who was named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
Stanford had their chances to score runs, getting two runners on base in the fifth inning. However, they were unable to capitalize and Texas added insurance runs in the sixth when Kayden Henry drove in two with a single. Ava Gall managed the only hit for Stanford.
Texas will now move on to face the winner of the Oklahoma State-Florida game on Saturday, with the winner advancing to the semifinals. Meanwhile, Stanford will play the loser of that game on Friday in an elimination contest. This is Stanford’s second consecutive year at bat against a top hitting team in their first game of the tournament; last season they lost to Oklahoma despite reaching the semifinals after losing their opener.
