Let this completely neutral observer start by saying it would have been more appropriate if UCLA had won this game. Nothing against Dave McKenna’s beloved Texas Tech; the Bruins just had the coolest highlight.
Sunday night’s Women’s College World Series clash between these two programs was an elimination game where the winner would go on to the semis and the loser would be banished from Oklahoma City. New-money Texas Tech is a target for the anger of opposing programs (jealous ones, arguably) for the way they’ve aggressively pursued top transfers to put themselves on the map, and they were fighting for their lives after a gripping 2-1 extra innings loss to Tennessee the previous day. UCLA, a perennial participant in the WCWS, had bounced back from a Day 1 defeat against Alabama with an 11-0 KO of Arkansas.
Both sides got their bats going early, with the score 3-2 Tech by the middle of the third. UCLA plated a run and loaded the bases in the bottom half, but Kaitlyn Terry, who transferred to Tech from the Bruins, entered in relief to get the last two outs and keep the score tied three-all. From there, Terry shut down her former team while the Red Raiders took a 6-3 lead into the bottom of the seventh and final inning. She got pulled, however, when Ramsey Suarez hit a leadoff dinger. NiJaree Canady returned to the mound, and she gave up a single before earning a strikeout and a fly out.
For those keeping score, that’s UCLA down to their final out with the tying run at the plate. That run was Jordan Woolery, who watched one strike go by and then launched the next one she saw with power. She belted the ball to dead center, into the domain of one stoic camera operator. You should get extra points for nailing that spot. Alas, you don’t, so the game went to extras.
The eighth inning came and went in stalemate but with one memorable incident. About three hours after first pitch was apparently when the ballpark’s sprinkler system was set to spray the field, and their sudden appearance added to that kind of weird, delirious feeling you get from a marathon playoff game. Thankfully, they got the water under control without too long of a stoppage.
Tech scored two runs in the top of the ninth on an RBI double and an error with the bases loaded. UCLA didn’t go quietly, scoring once and getting runners to first and second with one out. But this time Canady, again replacing Terry mid-inning, did her job without incident, ending the game on a fly ball and a strikeout. Then, and only then, could the grounds crew finally water the field without anyone telling them to scram.
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