Texas Tech's Canady pushed to 'limit' in WCWS, coach says - ESPN

OKLAHOMA CITY — On the night Texas ace Teagan Kavan pitched the Longhorns to the program's first national title, Texas Tech two-way star NiJaree Canady ran out of steam in the decisive game of the 2025 Women's College World Series.

Canady, the nation's ERA leader (0.97), returned to the circle Friday night having thrown 686 consecutive pitches for the Red Raiders over 48 innings dating to the start of super regionals on May 22. But facing Texas for a third straight day, Canady stumbled in Game 3 of the WCWS championship series.

The Longhorns plated five first-inning runs and chased Canady after just eight batters, paving the way for a title-clinching, 10-4 victory at Devon Park. Per ESPN Research, Texas' five runs in the opening frame marked the most Canady has allowed in a single inning in her career and matched her second-highest run total in any outing across her junior season this spring.

«I think that we pushed it to the very limit,» Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco said afterward of Canady. «I think the kid gave us everything that she had.… All you had to do was look at the velocity the first night compared to the second night and tonight. And it was slowly edging away.»

Rest emerged among the deciding factors in the first best-of-three WCWS championship series to go the distance since 2021.

After outdueling Canady in Game 1 on Wednesday, Kavan was the last pitcher standing in Game 3. The Texas sophomore sealed WCWS Most Outstanding Player honors after allowing four runs (all unearned) on eight hits in her third complete game of the WCWS, closing out the Longhorns' long-awaited national title hunt on a ground out off the bat of Texas Tech's Lauren Allred and improving to 5-0 all-time against Canady in the process.

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