No. 1 Texas faces elimination in WCWS final vs. Oklahoma
No. 1 Texas softball and head coach Mike White faces a do-or-die scenario in Game 2 of the Women's College World Series after falling short of the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners in an 8-3 loss on June 5. A win over Oklahoma in Game 2 of the WCWS final would push the series to a winner-take-all Game 3 on June 7.
Mike White and Texas softball fighting to avoid elimination from the WCWS final tonight
it's go time 🤘https://t.co/gECsZP9mtH#HookEm pic.twitter.com/rAsgUN6d0l
— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) June 6, 2024
Texas fell behind early and couldn't rally in the late innings in the opener of the Women's College World Series final in the five-run loss to the rival Sooners. Two-time All-American Oklahoma pitcher Kelly Maxwell was solid for the Sooners, keeping Texas to just one run scored until their last inning in the bottom of the sixth.
Three Texas errors also proved costly, indirectly contributing to three Oklahoma runs that sealed the victory in the latter innings for the Sooners.
White and the Longhorns face a tough task to rally to win two straight against the defending back-to-back-to-back National Champions Oklahoma. But Texas has rallied before against Oklahoma this season, which contributed to the Longhorns winning the Big 12 regular season crown for the first time since 2014.
In the three-game series between Texas and Oklahoma in Red River during the regular season, the Longhorns had to win the last two games to defeat the Sooners back in early April. There were certainly some similiarities between that regular season series in Red River and the start of the WCWS final.
Oklahoma won the first game in that series in early April by a margin of multiple runs. Texas rallied to squeak out two one-run wins over the Sooners to take the series two games to one against Oklahoma.
White's squad also overcame adversity when they punched their ticket to the Women's College World Series with a comeback series win in the Austin Super Regional over the No. 16 Texas A&M Aggies. Texas won two straight one-run games to top Texas A&M after dropping the super regional opener, also be a margin of just one run.
The first pitch time for Game 2 of the Women's College World Series final between Texas and Oklahoma is 7 p.m. CT at OGE Field at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, OK, on June 6. The entire final series for the WCWS is broadcast live on ESPN.
You can view the live updating bracket for the Women's College World Series on NCAA.com here.