Texas defeats Texas Tech on walk-off infield single in extra-innings thriller

A highly anticipated in-state showdown lived up to the billing Friday night. Texas Tech and Texas squared off in a pitchers’ duel that required extra innings to settle.

New Red Raiders star pitcher NiJaree Canady went head-to-head against Longhorns star sophomore Teagan Kavan, allowing two combined runs through seven innings before extras. Ultimately, it was Texas which came out on top.

The Longhorns managed just one run through eight innings against Canady, but finally got something cooking in the bottom of the ninth. They had runners on second and third with nobody out as Victoria Hunter came to the plate.

She delivered, knocking a ground ball to first base, and the throw hit her. Since Hunter was in the baseline, there was no interference and the winning run scored.

Canady entered Friday’s showdown off to a strong start to her Texas Tech career after transferring from Stanford. She amassed a 3-1 record with a 0.68 ERA and 40 strikeouts through her first four appearances as the Red Raiders’ ace in the circle.

She kept the Texas bats quiet. Despite an early scare from Reese Atwood, who just missed a first-inning home run after it went foul, Canady kept the Longhorns off the board outside of a fifth-inning RBI double from Mia Scott.

All told, Canady struck out 11 Texas hitters while allowing two runs across more than eight innings of work. The loss was her second of the season.

Kavan is also putting together an impressive follow-up to her standout freshman season in Austin. Through three appearances entering Friday’s game, she had a 2-0 record with 18 strikeouts and a 1.62 ERA. That comes after a 2024 campaign in which she went 20-3 with a 2.20 ERA and 135 strikeouts as a true freshman.

The only blemish on Kavan’s scorecard before extra innings was a fourth-inning RBI single from Anya German to give Texas Tech a 1-0 lead. She then kept the Red Raiders’ bats quiet in both the eighth and ninth innings to set up the Texas walk-off. Kavan finished with 18 strikeouts while allowing just one earned run to get the win.

With the victory, the Longhorns stay perfect on the season, improving to 8-0 and maintaining their No. 1 ranking. For Texas Tech, it’s the Red Raiders’ second loss of the year after falling to Mississippi State in the second game of the NFCA Leadoff Classic.

Both teams will now get ready to take on UMass on Saturday as the Bevo Classic continues. Texas Tech gets the first crack at the Minutemen at 11 a.m. CT and Texas plays them at 4 p.m. The Red Raiders will also face Maryland at 1:30 p.m. CT.