Red Raiders move on at WCWS after 3-1 win over UCLA

Saturday, May 31

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

6:00 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

52-12

UCLA

55-12

TEXAS TECH

UCLA

Red Raiders move on at WCWS after 3-1 win over UCLA

May 31, 2025 | Softball

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Texas Tech is now one win from the championship series following a 3-1 victory Saturday

By: Texas Tech Athletics Communications

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Hailey Toney connected on a two-out home run and Texas Tech used another gem from NiJaree Canady in the circle to push the Red Raiders to one win from the championship series following a 3-1 victory over UCLA Saturday evening at Devon Park.

With the win, Texas Tech's historic season continues in the Women's College World Series semifinals Monday where the Red Raiders (52-12) will await the winner of Sunday's elimination game between No. 2 seed Oklahoma and No. 16 Oregon. First pitch Monday is slated for 6 p.m. on ESPN.

"It feels amazing," said Canady, who previously led Stanford to the WCWS semifinals each of the past two years. "Just this being our first time here as a team and being able to get to the semifinals, it's a huge accomplishment by itself. But we're not finished. We're going for the whole thing, like every other team here."

Toney broke a 1-1 in the sixth by lifting a 3-2 pitch just over the fence in right center, continuing her hot hitting in the postseason as it was her seventh home run of the season and third since Texas Tech hosted the NCAA Lubbock Regional two weeks ago. It was Texas Tech's first home run thus far in Oklahoma City, coming at the appropriate time for Canady, who retired the Bruins in order in the bottom half.

All three of Texas Tech's runs came with two outs in the inning as Raegan Jennings added a key insurance run in the top half of the seventh with a pinch-hit RBI single to score a speedy Alana Johnson from second. It was one of only four hits on the night for the Red Raiders, who previously opened the fifth with a leadoff single from Lauren Allred followed by a one-out double from Canady that landed just inside the chalk in right field.

Texas Tech broke a scoreless game later in the fifth with what will likely go down as one of the most memorable plays in recent WCWS memory as Gerry Glasco called a double steal with two outs in the inning, sending Makayla Garcia straight from third without stopping. UCLA catcher Alexis Ramirez threw the pitch straight back to the circle, not noticing a racing Garcia who slide into home before UCLA could even attempt a throw back to the plate.

"I really thought that she would stand up and not throw to second, but I thought she would just flip it to the pitcher," said Glasco on the since viral double steal. "I knew that we had to go -- we had to just take off for home in order to make it. That was what I was counting on. What I didn't count on was just to stand there with the ball, but it worked."

The stolen base pushed Texas Tech's run to scoring first to 22-consecutive games, the longest active streak in Division I currently. The Bruins (55-12) tied the game only minutes later, though, as Kaniya Bragg led off the bottom half of the fifth with a solo home run to right field, only the second long ball surrendered by Canada in what her 10th career appearance at the WCWS.

Unlike the WCWS opener where Canady (32-5) was perfect through the first five innings, she had to escape a pair of jams against the Bruins, who loaded the bases with only one out in the second and then put the first two hitters on to start the seventh. Canady responded in the second with a strikeout and then a ground ball to Bailey Lindemuth at third base who tossed it home for the final out.

UCLA led off the seventh with back-to-back singles against Canady, two of only four hits allowed all night by the right-hander who induced an infield popup to Bragg before getting out of trouble with one of her seven strikeouts and a ground ball to second. Over her two outings thus far in Oklahoma City, Canady has given up only one run off six combined hits over 14.0 innings, fanning an impressive 17 batters during that span.

"You got to start everything with NiJaree in the circle," Glasco said. "She's just so fantastic. I thought she pitched a gem of a game. She's able to attack the strike zone, and you get to the World Series and you play with the zone, the strike zone here is a very disciplined strike zone. So you have to be able to challenge that zone, especially early in the count. I think that's what separates her from most pitchers. She's good enough and she's talented enough to really pound the strike zone and still get the ball past hitters. So really hard to square up. I thought she did a tremendous job against a very good hitting team and in a World Series strike zone. I thought she was outstanding."

UCLA received a complete game of its own from starter Taylor Tinsley (15-5) as the right-hander gave up only a hit by pitch to the Red Raiders through four innings until Allred's leadoff single in the fifth. Tinsley struck out two in a losing effort as Texas Tech has been fanned only three times over its first two games of the WCWS.

UCLA will have to fight its way back through the elimination bracket as the Bruins will face No. 7 seed Tennessee at 2 p.m. CT Sunday on ABC. That game will be followed by Oklahoma, which lost earlier in the day to No. 6 seed Texas, and Oregon at 6 p.m. on ESPN with the winner facing the Red Raiders the following night.