Teagan Kavan threw a two-hit complete-game shutout to lift Texas to a 4-0 win over Tennessee in the Women’s College World Series semifinals on Monday in Oklahoma City.
The Longhorns (51-12) will take on Alabama or Texas Tech in the best-of-three championship series beginning Wednesday.
Texas is in the championship series for the fourth time in five seasons.
Texas had to beat the Vols twice to advance, with Kavan picking up the save in a 5-2 Longhorns win earlier in the day to force the second game.
Kavan was in control throughout, retiring the first 11 hitters she faced.
The Vols had just two baserunners, both on singles.
Kavan (28-6) struck out 10 in her fifth career WCWS shutout.
Texas broke through in the third inning off Tennessee pitcher Karlyn Pickens (15-8).
Viviana Martinez got the scoring started with an RBI single down the third base line after the Longhorns led off the inning with back-to-back singles.
Then with Reese Atwood at the plate, Martinez stole second.
After the throw went down to second, Kayden Henry raced home on the delayed steal to make it 2-0. Atwood then drove in Henry with a double to left-center.
The Longhorns extended their lead to 4-0 on Katie Stewart’s solo home run to left-center in the fifth. Stewart has homered in three consecutive games.
Stewart left the game in the sixth after Ella Dodge’s hard grounder bounced off the safety bag at first and into Stewart’s chin. The ball was initially called fair but reversed on replay as Stewart was being tended to by trainers.
–Field Level Media
