In extra innings of the final game of the Red River Rivalry series this season, Texas fans finally something to celebrate when Katie Stewart stepped up to the plate. In a 6-6 tie game, Texas was facing a sweep from the Sooners, something no Texas fan ever wants to hear, but instead, Stewart became the hero of the day in the 8-6 win.
With no outs in the inning and the game newly tied at six apiece after a Hannah Wells pinch-hit home run to start off the eighth inning, Stewart stepped up to the plate with Kayden Henry on first. Stewart was in a great spot in a 2-0 count, and Oklahoma pitcher Audrey Lowry was in need of a strike.
Lowry came too much onto the plate, and Stewart certainly didn't miss it as she knew the ball was out once he made contact. It was clear the frustration from the weekend series came to a head in that hit as Stewart emphatically slammed the bat down in celebration, knowing she just won the game for the Longhorns.
The broadcast video cut from Stewart's bat flip to follow the ball as it left the field, but a new angle has surfaced of the slam, and it will send Texas fans crazy and anger Oklahoma fans.
no doubter 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/kUtZJcahaD
— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) April 12, 2026
Texas fans nearly missed the historic walk-off win for Texas vs. Oklahoma
This walk-off win put Stewart in the history books, as this was the first time since 2007 that the Longhorns had a walk-off win against Oklahoma. Stewart became just the fifth Texas player to walk off against Oklahoma and the first to do it with a home run.
Texas fans nearly missed the history, or missed it altogether, as ESPN, without warning, switched the broadcast from the game in the middle of the eighth inning to ESPN NBA Tip-Off. Before some fans even realized the broadcast had been switched, the game was already over, and anyone watching missed the best part.
The game had switched over to ESPNU, but ESPN never gave a warning that the broadcast was going to be changed; many missed the end of a very interesting ball game. Even if fans were able to change the channel fast, many missed Wells' tying home run that put Texas back into the game.
In a rivalry like this, missing the most climactic part of the game is something Texas and Oklahoma fans won't forgive ESPN for. At least the Longhorns were able to steal one game of the series from the Sooners and escape the most feared sweep of the series.