Oklahoma’s bid for a fifth consecutive Women’s College World Series title came to a dramatic end Monday night as Texas Tech secured a 3-2 semifinal victory on a walk-off sacrifice fly by Lauren Allred.
The Sooners (52-9) were on the brink of elimination in the top of the seventh inning when Abigale Dayton delivered a clutch, two-run homer to tie the game. The blast—just her third of the season—came with two outs and two strikes, momentarily giving Oklahoma life.
But Texas Tech (53-12) answered immediately. Mihyia Davis singled with one out, and Hailey Toney followed with a double. Allred then lifted a fly ball to right field, and although Sydney Barker got a throw off, it was wide of the plate, allowing Davis to score the game-winning run.
Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso gave full credit to the Red Raiders: “Congratulations to Texas Tech. They earned that. They played well. They hit well. They pitched well. So well deserved.”
This marks Texas Tech’s first-ever trip to the WCWS, and they now advance to the best-of-three championship series against Texas, beginning Wednesday. The Longhorns are making their third finals appearance in the last four years, having previously lost to Oklahoma in both 2022 and 2024.
Red Raiders head coach Gerry Glasco encouraged his team to stay focused after Dayton’s game-tying home run. “We don’t want it to be easy. It’s Oklahoma. You knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” he said. “Let’s go to work right here, win this right here in the bottom of the seventh.”
Sam Landry, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League draft, pitched a complete game but took the loss for Oklahoma. Glasco had coached Landry during their time at Louisiana, and both Davis and Allred followed him to Texas Tech.
After the game, Landry shared a heartfelt moment with her former coach. “It’s bittersweet,” she said. “I wished him luck going forward. Neither one of us wanted to be where we met in the postseason. Super happy for them. That’s a lot of my old teammates. I’m glad they’re getting to experience it.”
Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady earned the win despite losing the shutout in the seventh. A transfer from Stanford and reigning two-time NFCA Pitcher of the Year, Canady was also named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year last season. She joined Texas Tech through a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal reportedly worth over $1 million.
After two semifinal runs with Stanford, Canady is now heading to her first championship series. “I think people doubted us, didn’t think we’d get to this point,” she said. “We just didn’t have any pressure on us, just wanted to go play softball.”
The loss ended a nine-game winning streak in elimination games for Oklahoma. The 2025 squad featured a significantly younger lineup, with nine freshmen and only three seniors. Despite the end of their historic run, Gasso was optimistic about the team’s future.
“We’re standing at the World Series as one of the top three teams left, with a team of 14 newcomers,” Gasso said. “I just shared with them in the locker room how much fun I had coaching them, watching them grow, watching them be hungry, watching them never quit.”
