Texas softball shuts out OK State to force elimination WCWS game

A fantastic effort for head coach Mike White and the unseeded Texas softball program came on June 6 in an elimination game for the women in burnt orange in facing the seven-seed Big 12 foe Oklahoma State Cowgirls in the semifinals of the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, OK. Texas got a convincing shutout win over Oklahoma State to push this semifinal series in the Women’s College World Series to a true elimination game set for June 7.

The driving force for the win for White and the Longhorns on June 6 came thanks to the breakout former NC State Wolfpack pitcher Estelle Czech. Continuing her shutout streak in this magical postseason run for the Longhorns, Czech gave her team seven shutout innings on the mound with just four hits allowed and three walks.

Meanwhile, Czech gave Texas three strikeouts as she really shut down this deep and experienced Oklahoma State lineup.

With the bats, Texas got a spark from the sophomore Pearland, TX, native Courtney Day. Although she just had one hit in this game, Day came up big at the perfect time. Day got the de facto game-winning run for Texas when she knocked out a clutch three-run home run in the bottom of the second inning.

Courtney Day and Estelle Czech help Texas softball force an elimination game vs. Oklahoma State on June 6

The only other run batted in for this game came courtesy of Mary Iakopo, who knocked one in as an insurance run with a sac-fly in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Moreover, this game just goes to show how timely and clutch this Texas team is so far this postseason. Texas only had one more hit than the Pokes in this one, but they made the most of them with five runs and only one runner left on base.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State stranded six times as many runners on base. Oklahoma State also allowed an unearned run thanks to a costly error in the sixth inning.

Texas continues to win games without blowing other teams out of the water in terms of the hit margin or putting up a ton of home runs. They are getting it done in different ways to beat some good teams such as the five-seed UCLA Bruins and Oklahoma State.

This style of play is something that can help Texas when they sit in close games in the postseason. And it has gotten the Longhorns just one game away from making it to the final round of the Women’s College World Series in OKC this week.

Texas and Oklahoma State will face each other one more time in the same night, with the first pitch time of the next game set for 8:45 p.m. CT on June 6. This will be a busy night for the Longhorns, and it will be interesting to see how this turns out before we figure out the team that will get to face the top-seeded Oklahoma Sooners in the final round of the Women’s College World Series.