Teagan Kavan threw a complete-game, one-hit shutout and top-seeded Texas defeated Stanford 4-0 in the first game of the Women’s College World Series on Thursday in Oklahoma City.
Kayden Henry hit a two-run single in the sixth inning to double the lead for the Longhorns (53-8), who also scored twice in the third inning.
For Stanford (48-16), Ava Gall reached on an infield single with two outs in the first inning, but the eighth-seeded Cardinal could not find another hit against Kavan, who struck out eight with four walks. She threw 124 pitches, 75 for strikes.
Henry came up with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth, and she sent a single to right off Stanford starter NiJaree Canady to plate two runners. Canady pitched all six innings for the Cardinal and yielded five hits and four walks with five strikeouts.
Oklahoma 9, Duke 1 (6 innings)
Kinzie Hansen hit the first of three two-run home runs to lift the second-seeded Sooners over the Blue Devils, extending their own record with their 19th consecutive NCAA Tournament win.
Hansen got the Sooners’ scoring started with a two-out homer to left in the third, jumping on Jala Wright’s first pitch of the at-bat. Oklahoma (55-6) built from there, with Alynah Torres adding a two-run homer later in the inning, and then Cydney Sanders driving another two-run shot in the fourth.
The 10th-seeded Blue Devils, in their first Women’s College World Series appearance, took the lead in the second on Francesca Frelick’s leadoff homer to left.
UCLA 4, Alabama 1
Jordan Woolery delivered a three-run home run in the sixth inning to deliver the sixth-seeded Bruins over the Crimson Tide.
UCLA (43-10) will take on Oklahoma on Saturday while No. 14 seed Alabama (38-19) will play Duke in an elimination game Friday.
UCLA’s offense was held mostly in check by Alabama starter Kayla Beaver until the sixth, when Maya Brady led off with a single. The Crimson Tide opted to intentionally walk Sharlize Palacios before Beaver struck out Megan Grant for the second out. But Woolery turned on Beaver’s 1-1 offering, belting it over the left field wall to break the tie.
Florida 1, Oklahoma State 0
Keagan Rothrock threw a two-hitter and Katie Kistler hit a solo home run for the game’s only score to lead the fourth-seeded Gators past the Cowgirls.
Florida (52-13) will play top-seeded Texas on Saturday. Fifth-seeded Oklahoma State (49-11) will head into an elimination game against eighth-seeded Stanford on Friday.
Rothrock (31-7) went all seven innings, striking out three and walking two. She threw 63 of her 94 pitches for strikes and lowered her ERA to 2.36.
Oklahoma State ace Lexi Kilfoyl gave up just two hits in six innings, striking out five and walking three. Kilfoyl (26-4) was pitching a no-hitter in the fifth when Kistler worked a nine-pitch at-bat into a full-count homer to right field.
