Red Raiders open WCWS with run-rule win

Thursday, May 28

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

11 a.m. CT

Texas Tech Athletics

58-7

Mississippi State

43-20

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Mississippi State	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2
Texas Tech	2	2	0	0	4	8	7	0

Red Raiders open WCWS with run-rule win

May 28, 2026 | Softball

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By: Wes Bloomquist

OKLAHOMA CITY – Texas Tech opened the Women's College World Series with an 8-0 run-rule win over Mississippi State with Jackie Lis hitting a two-run home run in the first inning and NiJaree Canady dominating in the pitcher's circle on Thursday at Devon Park.

The Red Raiders (58-7) will now play Tennessee at 2 p.m. on Saturday while the Bulldogs (43-20) will face an elimination game against Texas on Friday. The Volunteers (48-10) earned a 6-3 win over the Longhorns (47-12) in the second game of the day.

"You want to stay in that winner's bracket," Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco said. "As long as you can win, it gets a day of rest. It makes the pace of the tournament where the kids can really enjoy it. We want to just keep trying to play every other day, every other day. It gives you a lot of time to prepare. It's really important that we keep winning. It eliminates playing as many innings when you're in the winner's bracket, obviously."

Canady earned the win and improved to 26-6 on the season after throwing four scoreless innings, striking out three and allowing only two hits. Kaitlyn Terry pitched one scoreless inning of relief, facing the minimum in the run-rule win to open the tournament. Canady, who is playing in her fourth straight WCWS, improved to 101-23 in her career and now has 1,103 strikeouts.

"I thought NiJa came out, the very first inning and set the tone," Glasco said. "Gave us four innings with two hits. I just thought she was fantastic, as she always is in Oklahoma City. I was proud of KT when we brought her in. It was a smooth turnover and transition. I thought she did great."

Lis led the Red Raiders by going 2-for-3 at the plate, including starting the game with a two-run homer after Mia Williams led off by being hit by a pitch. Lis finished the game with three RBI while Williams, Terry, Mihyia Davis and Lauren Allred also drove in runs. Davis also put together a 2-for-3 day at the plate for the Red Raiders who had seven hits against the Bulldogs. Williams and Allred each had doubles.

"Mia Williams get on base, wearing it. She's a magnet right now," Glasco said. "I'm glad she found a way to get on base for Jackie Lis. And then for Jackie to step up in her very first World Series at-bat, so calm always, delivers a two-run home run."

HOW IT HAPPENED:

One pitch. One out. Two Tech batters. 2-0 lead. A tone was set early with the WCWS starting when Canady coaxed a first-pitch ground ball to Williams at second base for the first out of the game before recording two strikeouts for a 1-2-3 top of the first inning. Canady needed only nine pitches in the opening frame to get the Red Raiders up to the plate where Williams led off and was hit by a pitch to bring up Lis who hit a two-run home run to left field to give Tech an early 2-0 lead. The 21st home run of the season for Lis gave Tech a 2-0 lead going into the second inning.

"We practiced a lot of sitting on her off-speed, preparing for whatever else she might throw at us," Lis said. "I was making sure to see the ball up. Change-ups are going to drop. So just making sure that if she throws something hard at me, I get a flat barrel on it; and if she throws me a change-up, just make sure stay back and drive it."

Mississippi State got its first hit off Canady with a one-out single in the second inning but another 1-2-3 inning would transpire with Toney fielding a ground ball at shortstop and turned a double play to end the inning. Davis led off the bottom of the second with an infield single and raced around the bases to score on a double pulled down the left field line by Allred for a 3-0 lead. Williams followed with Tech's second double of the game and her team-leading 23rd of the season, driving in Allred for a 4-0 advantage and moving Quiroga to third while also bumping Mississippi State's starting pitcher from the game.

Canady worked out of a fourth-inning jam after giving up a leadoff single and a two-out walk, getting her third line out to the outfield for the third out of the inning with runners stranded on first and second base. Through four innings, Canady had allowed only two hits while recording three strikeouts and having only one walk. Tech went down in order in the bottom of the inning to take the game to the fifth with the Red Raiders still leading 4-0.

Terry entered the pitcher's circle in the fifth, needing only seven pitches to record a 1-2-3 inning with two groundouts and an inning-ending flyout to Allred in right field. A leadoff walk by Williams resulted in Tech's fifth run of the game when Lis driving her in from third with a single through the left side of the infield. The lead grew to 6-0 with Terry hitting a single to center field to score Lis before the game ended in run-rule fashion with Davis hitting an RBI single to score Terry and then Taylor Pannell scoring on a throwing error for the 8-0 win.

UP NEXT: Texas Tech will now play the Texas-Tennessee winner at 2 p.m. on Saturday while Mississippi State plays the loser at 6 p.m. on Friday in an elimination game.