Texas Advances to WCWS Championship Series After Beating Tennessee Twice

The Texas Longhorns advanced to the Women's College World Series Championship Series after defeating the Tennessee Lady Vols in two games played Monday in Oklahoma City. Texas won the first game 5-2 and the second 4-0, securing their place in the championship round as the 11th team to qualify. Katie Stewart delivered a standout performance, hitting home runs in both games, becoming the fourth Division I player to reach 30 home runs this season. Teagan Kavan earned a save in the first game before pitching a complete-game two-hit shutout in the second, striking out 10 batters and improving her season record to 28-6. Tennessee’s offense struggled in the second game, going ice cold and failing to score against Texas’s pitching. Tennessee head coach Karen Weekly took responsibility for the collapse, citing preparation and handling pressure as key issues. Pitcher Karlyn Pickens, who did not appear in the first game, allowed four earned runs in six innings of the second game before her collegiate career ended. Texas advances to its third straight championship series and fourth in the last five years. The Longhorns will now face the winner of the Texas Tech vs. Alabama matchup in the championship round. Citlaly Gutierrez also contributed with a season-high 6.2 innings of pitching in the first game, allowing just one earned run before handing the ball to Kavan.