Texas took control early and never really let it slip away, beating Texas Tech 7-3 in Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series championship series to move within one win of a national title.
The Longhorns set the tone almost immediately after Texas Tech grabbed an early jolt. Mihyia Davis led off the game with a solo home run, giving the Red Raiders an instant lift, but Texas answered with a five-run first inning that changed the feel of the game before it ever settled in. Katie Stewart delivered the big swing in the inning with a two-run homer, and Texas kept stacking quality at-bats to put Texas Tech on its heels.
That opening burst mattered because Texas Tech entered the series with one of the most dominant pitching staffs in the country and a lineup built to stay in games. Instead, Texas forced the Red Raiders into chase mode right away. The Longhorns did not need a long, dramatic rally or a late-inning escape; they built a lead, kept adding to it, and made Texas Tech play from behind almost the entire night.
Texas Tech did show some fight. Mia Williams cut into the deficit with a two-run home run in the fifth, trimming Texas’ lead to 6-3 and briefly giving the Red Raiders life. But Texas responded the way championship teams do, answering with another run in the sixth and never allowing the momentum to swing fully back. Every time Texas Tech threatened to make the game uncomfortable, Texas came back with a timely response.
Teagan Kavan was a steady presence in the circle for Texas. She worked all seven innings and gave the Longhorns the kind of composed outing they needed in a championship opener. Kavan allowed three runs on three hits, walked two and struck out six, controlling the game well enough to protect the early cushion her offense provided. She had to absorb the damage from the two Texas Tech home runs, but she limited everything else and kept the Red Raiders from mounting a true rally.
Texas Tech tried to adjust in the circle, turning to multiple pitchers in hopes of slowing Texas’ rhythm. Kaitlyn Terry took the early hit, and NiJaree Canady also saw action in the game, but Texas kept finding ways to push runners through and extend innings. The Longhorns finished with 10 hits, a sign that their offense was not built around one big inning alone. They consistently pressured Texas Tech with contact, patience and enough power to create separation.
From a broader standpoint, the game was about Texas dictating the tempo. The Longhorns looked comfortable from the moment they answered Davis’ homer and never gave Texas Tech much room to settle in. That first-inning outburst mattered, but so did the way Texas handled the middle innings. Instead of letting the game drift, the Longhorns kept the Red Raiders under pressure and maintained control through the final outs.
For Texas Tech, the task now becomes simple but difficult: find a way to slow Texas’ offense and extend the series. The Red Raiders have shown resilience all postseason, but Game 1 was a reminder that Texas can punish even the smallest opening. The Longhorns are one win away from the program’s first national championship, and they will carry that momentum into the next game.
