05/29/26 08:55:00
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05/29 20:38 CDT Kavan's 4-hit shutout keeps defending champ Texas alive at WCWS
with 4-0 win over Mississippi State
Kavan's 4-hit shutout keeps defending champ Texas alive at WCWS with 4-0 win
over Mississippi State
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) --- Teagan Kavan pitched a complete-game four-hitter, Kaiah
Altmeyer and Kayden Henry each belted a home run, and defending-champion Texas
defeated Mississippi State 4-0 on Friday to stay alive at the Women's College
World Series.
Kavan (26-6), who was the losing pitcher in the Longhorns' 6-3 loss to
Tennessee on Thursday, returned to the form that led Texas to the WCWS title in
2025. On Friday, she threw only 78 pitches with two strikeouts and no walks.
Second-seeded Texas (48-12) advances to another elimination game on Sunday
against the loser between Alabama and Nebraska, which face off in the winner's
bracket on Saturday. Unseeded Mississippi State (43-21), playing in the WCWS
for the first time, was eliminated after back-to-back shutout losses.
Altmeyer's home run, her first of the season, gave Texas a 2-0 lead in the
second inning. Henry's home run to right field was her 13th hit of the
postseason, eight of them for extra bases. Henry's third-inning double to left
field missed clearing the wall by just a couple of feet.
Texas also lost its opening game in the super regional against Arizona State
and it took a two-run pinch-hit home run by Victoria Hunter to force a Game 3.
The Longhorns then advanced with a 5-0 win in the decisive game. If the
Longhorns reach the championship series, they would be trying to become the
fifth team to win the title after losing their opening game.
Mississippi State starter Delainey Everett (3-2) pitched through the fourth,
allowing Altmeyer's home run and just two other hits. She was the winning
pitcher in both of the Bulldogs' wins in the super regional against Oklahoma,
Game 1 in relief and Game 3 with a complete-game shutout. She missed much of
the season with a shoulder injury and pitched only 20 innings prior to Friday.
Xiane Romero had three hits for the Bulldogs.
Mississippi State faced the two teams from the 2025 championship series ---
Texas and Texas Tech.
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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports
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