The Texas Tech softball continues to find a way to win this postseason, even as the stage they play on grows larger by the game. Thursday, in the program's first-ever World Series appearance, the Red Raiders secured a 1-0 win over Ole Miss, and as usual, it was thanks to the brilliance of star pitcher NiJaree Canady.
The junior from Kansas tossed a complete game, giving up only two hits while striking out ten Rebels and walking none. She began the game by striking out the side in the first, and then she ended it by doing the same in the seventh.
In fact, Canady came close to a perfect game. She didn't allow a runner to reach base until there was one out in the sixth inning.
It was in that frame that Canady got in trouble for the only time in the game. Giving up back-to-back hits to the eighth and ninth-place hitters in the Ole Miss order, she saw the game-tying run reach scoring position. However, she got out of the jam with a strikeout and foul-out to keep her team in front.
Canady had to be at her best because Texas Tech's offense was far from lethal. In fact, the Red Raiders managed only four hits on the evening.
Though the Red Raiders struck out only once in the game, they couldn't mount many rallies. However, in the fourth inning, they were able to scratch one run across the plate.
After Lauren Allred singled, right fielder Alana Johnson doubled on a line drive to left field. On the play, the Ole Miss defender misplayed the ball, allowing Allred to score from first base.
That was all the offense the game would see. However, the Red Raiders are accustomed to playing tight games and finding a way to get just enough offense to support Canady, and that's what they did again on Thursday night.
Tech now moves on to a Saturday contest against either Oregon or UCLA. If the Red Raiders can win that game, they will be one victory away from playing in the championship series. That's amazing to think about, given where this program was at this time last year.