During Texas's 7-3 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Game 1 of the Women's College World Series, star pitcher Teagan Kavan threw out 115 pitches for the Longhorns.
30 minutes before Game 2, it was announced that Texas head coach Mike White was opting to rest her and start Citlaly Gutierrez instead.
After a somewhat shaky start and a run scored by the Red Raiders in the third inning, it looked questionable if White had made the right decision. Then, rotating in true freshman Hannah Wells for a few at-bats, the choice was looking even more questionable.
However, as soon as Texas's batting got hot, it became clear the White and the National Championship defending Longhorns knew what they were doing.
Despite facing NiJaree Canady, the first-ever million-dollar softball player in the circle, the Horns secured a 4-1 win over the Red Raiders, clinching their second consecutive Women's College World Series title.
Teagan Kavan closes out Citlaly Gutierrez's incredible WCWS win
Of course, White couldn't keep Kavan out of the game entirely, tossing his junior pitcher into the circle for the final two innings. Facing her first three batters of the evening, Kavan earned three strikeouts, proving exactly why she is widely considered the best pitcher in all of college softball.
In the bottom of the seventh, with Texas Tech staring down their last three at-bats of the season, Kavan's clutch gene continued to kick into overdrive. She forced a short hit that led to an out at first base, struck out the second batter, and struck out the third.
"Start the dynasty talk in Austin," the ESPN commentators said after Kavan's final pitch flew across the plate.
For the second year in a row, Kavan was named the series' Most Outstanding Player, the first player to do so in NCAA Softball Tournament history.
"I was just telling myself that this is what I dreamed of, and I wanted to have Citlaly's back," Kavan said. "It's a team thing... It's all of these girls right here."
The win went to Gutierrez, who pitched for 4.1 innings, earning three strikeouts and giving up just three hits for the Red Raiders' single run.
"Teagan Kavan was nails," White said with tears coming to his eyes.
On the other side of the plate, the Longhorns' offense combined for a whopping eight hits, bringing in four runs, and striking out just three times, continuously making contact with Canady's pitches, even if they didn't get on base.
Read more: Texas fans can get enough of Katie Stewart's picture-perfect homer from WCWS Game 1
For the second year in a row, the Longhorns defeated the Red Raiders in the Women's College World Series final, besting Canady and head coach Gerry Glasco once again.
With the win, Texas closed out the season on a six-game winning streak to earn the Horns' second straight National Champion and a 53-12 overall record.
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