Texas Tech Run-Rules Florida to Reach Second Straight WCWS
Texas Tech survived and thrived through plunked batters, weather delays, bugs and a rowdy Gainesville crowd to punch a ticket to its second straight Women’s College World Series. They did it in dominating fashion, refusing to back down until their opponent finally broke, handing Florida its first home postseason run-rule loss in program history with a 16-7 victory.
“Proud of my team. We knew it was going to be a war. We knew it was going to be a slugfest,” Gerry Glasco said afterward.
For the first three innings, it played out exactly that way.
Texas Tech struck first with three runs in the opening inning. Florida answered with four of its own. The Red Raiders came back with another four-run response and the Gators immediately countered with three more. Back and forth it went as tensions began to build to a fury.
The Mia Williams storyline only added to the emotion surrounding the afternoon.
The former Florida player entered Sunday already having been hit by four pitches in the series. She was plunked again to open the game, immediately igniting the Texas Tech dugout.
“Playing against my former team...mentally coming into this, I knew it was gonna be a dogfight,” Williams said. “I told my team they needed to have my back this weekend….they always have my back I love them for life.”
A weather delay of nearly two hours paused a game that already felt chaotic, but Texas Tech never seemed to lose its edge.
When Williams stepped back into the batter’s box following the delay, she finally got a pitch to attack.
“So the first pitch I didn’t get hit,” Williams said with a smile. “I was like, ‘Okay, here we go. I’m gonna get a strike two.’ Hitters count. I said, ‘You know what this is gonna be — the one.’ It was.”
Williams sent the go-ahead home run over the wall and Glasco made sure afterward to go to bat for one of his stars.
“It’s a normal thing in this day and age for athletes to transfer. It happens every day,” Glasco said. “We want to make a big deal out of it? That’s uncalled for. Proud of my team for having her back.”
He continued.
“For her to take the walk or another hit by pitch, I think she just got hit five times on the first pitch. Then when they did pitch to her, she took the challenge and hit it out. She won every battle that was thrown her way today and I’m really proud of her.”
While Florida showed plenty of fight themselves to tie it once again at 7-7. It was Taylor Pannell who gave Texas Tech a lead they would not relinquish on a solo shot to push ahead 8-7.
The same Pannell, who fittingly said after Saturday’s loss that Texas Tech needed to stop playing on its back heels, backed it up in the biggest game of the season. She would go on to launch two home runs, joining th senior Jackie Lis who did the same.
“I wanted to do it for my team, do it for Mia, and just prove yesterday wasn’t the way we play,” Pannell said. “I was just going up there trying to get a good pitch.”
Glasco was quick to shout out Pannell as well.
“Unbelievable game,” Glasco said of her performance. “Such a great player and such a great leader.”
While the bats kept rolling, Glasco and his staff had everyone talking about their use of their star pitching duo.
Canady and Kaitlyn Terry rotated in and out of the circle throughout the afternoon, using the advantage of having two pitchers capable of remaining in the lineup offensively. At one point ESPN’s broadcast crew even questioned if a future rule should limit the tactic.
For Glasco, the difference was simple.
“The biggest difference in the game was we have two All-American pitchers in Kaitlyn Terry and NiJa Canady,” Glasco said. “They stepped up today. We had a place to go when it got 7-7.”
Terry said the constant switching was never something created on the fly.
“It’s something that we prepared for,” Terry said. “We did this earlier in the season, and it’s something that me and NiJa just bounce off of.”
Canady said having the lineup continue producing also took pressure off both pitchers.
“I feel like we were all stringing hits together,” Canady said. “Me and KT just working in, that takes pressure off just one of us.”
By the fifth and final inning, Texas Tech led 16-7 and a day led by everyone on the field and in dugout, ended in yet another road win over a lower seed to earn their spot in Oklahoma City.
Or maybe daWgout is more appropriate.
“We were just playing for each other,” Canady said after the game. “Our leadoff batter gets hit… They didn’t want to shake hands at the end of the game. We’re playing for each other.”
For a group of players that have a lot of World Series experience the moment was still just as special.
“Chills,” Williams said “You say it and I get chills. Every time someone makes it to Oklahoma City, instant tears and chills.”
Canady, who is headed to her fourth WCWS in four years, added perspective on just how difficult the moment really is to reach.
“You don’t just happen to end up in Oklahoma City,” Canady said. “It’s hard.”
Texas Tech will look to carry that fire to Oklahoma City for a second straight Women’s College World Series appearance. They will open play Thursday at 11am CT against Mississippi State after the Bulldogs knocked off Oklahoma in a winner-take-all Game 3 of their own.
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