Stewart homer, Morgan and Kavan pitching send Texas past Tennessee for spot in Women’s CWS finals
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Katie Stewart hit a home run, Mac Morgan and Teagan Kavan combined on a 3-hitter and Texas defeated Tennessee 2-0 on Monday to reach the Women’s College World Series championship series for the third time in four years.
Kavan, who threw a complete game with eight strikeouts in Saturday’s 4-2 victory over Oklahoma, came on in relief of Morgan in the fifth inning and didn’t allow a hit the rest of the way. She struck out the Volunteers’ Emma Clarke to end the game.
Texas (54-11) will play either Oklahoma or Texas Tech in the best-of-three series, which starts Wednesday. Those teams square off in Monday night’s other semifinal.
“We’ve played both of them already,” Kavan said. “So obviously using what we learned from those games. But I think it’s more focused on us and what we can do and not necessarily on them and focusing on our strengths.”
Karlyn Pickens, a National Fastpitch Coaches Association first-team All-American, allowed just one earned run on five hits and struck out nine for Tennessee (47-17).
“My heart is full because of the young ladies to my right and the young ladies in that locker room,” Vols coach Karen Weekly said. “They’re sad for all the right reasons. It’s not about wins and losses; it’s about the joy they’ve experienced being together every single day. And I think people saw that in the way we played. They saw them bounce back. They saw how resilient, how gritty and tough they were.”
Texas loaded the bases against Pickens in the third with one out but couldn’t score. Reese Atwood struck out swinging and Joley Mitchell popped out to the catcher to end the inning.
Things got heated in the top of the fourth when Tennessee hitting coach Craig Snider, the former Texas Tech head coach, appeared to have words with the Texas dugout and was ejected.
“I don’t know what transpired,” Texas coach Mike White said. “I think he was upset about the call by the umpire at home plate … . The rule says any time an assistant coach hits the field and questions something it’s an automatic ejection. So I think that’s what he was upset about, so I think he decided to maybe just to take some stuff out on us.”
Weekly said Snider was frustrated with the strike zone.
“You would hope that you get a little bit of leeway because of the stage you’re on right here; you certainly don’t want to lose a coach when you’re playing for the biggest game of the season,” she said.
Stewart homered off Pickens in the bottom of the fourth, a high drive to left that drifted beyond the outstretched glove of Alannah Leach. Pickens recovered quickly, striking out the next three batters she faced.
“We had just enough wind to help that home run go over,” White said. “That was fortunate there. Looking down on us, maybe, Teagan’s grandma, so she puffed one out there.”
Kavan pitched Saturday while mourning the death of her 97-year-old grandmother.
Morgan got the win, striking out four and walking one. The Longhorns added an insurance run the sixth on a throwing error by Vols third baseman Taylor Pannell.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
By TIM WILLERT
Associated Press
