The No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns began their Women’s College World Series title defense with a dominant 4-0 victory over Stanford University. Teagan Kavan, a freshman, was the standout player of the game as she struck out eight and walked four in seven innings while allowing no hits. Despite being the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, Stanford’s NiJaree Canady struggled to keep up with Kavan’s performance, allowing four runs on five hits in six innings.
Kayden Henry also played a crucial role in Texas’ win as she contributed with two hits and a run scored for the Longhorns. Ava Gall was the only one to hit for Stanford, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with Texas’ impressive play. The Longhorns will now face the winner of the Oklahoma State-Florida game on Saturday, giving them an opportunity to advance to the semifinals and continue their championship aspirations. Meanwhile, Stanford will play the loser of that same game on Friday in an elimination match, hoping to bounce back from their disappointing loss.
