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2025 WCWS Day 3

Two winners' bracket games today...

TEXAS TECH-UCLA

Texas Tech (where I've been on the faculty for 28 years) and UCLA (where I did my undergrad work) about to get started. One potential factor is that some UCLA hitters will have faced TTU's NiJaree Canady when she was at Stanford in the two previous years, when the two schools were still in the Pac 12... Taylor Tinsley starting for the Bruins against (presumably) Canady... T1, Raiders down 1-2-3... T6, Tech leads 2-1 on a fifth-inning steal of home as the catcher throws ball back to pitcher (video) and sixth-inning homer by Hailey Toney (video), compared to the Bruins' one run on a Kaniya Bragg fifth-inning homer, as Bragg goes oppo on Canady high heat (73 mph) and sends a clothesline shot just over the RF wall... UCLA goes quietly in B6... Tech adds a run in T7 to increase its lead to 3-1... Bruins in B7 with runners on first and second and one out, full count on batter... Pitch that may have been high called for strike three. Two outs... Kaitlyn Tery up... Grounder to second, runner from first tagged out to end the ballgame... Red Raiders take it, 3-1...

TEXAS-OKLAHOMA

Longhorns bat in B3 of a 2-2 tie... Despite both teams' slugging prowess, all runs so far have scored via incremental rallies (e.g., walks, singles, errors)... Texas adds one run each in B5 (on a Kayden Henry homer; video) and B6 (on a Joley Mitchell homer; video) to lead 4-2... OU never does down easily, putting two runners aboard in T7, but Teagan Kavan strikes out last two batters to record a complete-game victory (video of final out)... With the 4-2 win, the Longhorns avenge a three-game sweep at the hands of OU April 25-27 in Norman... 


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