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2026 WCWS: Canady dazzles against Alabama, Texas Tech returns to champ series

Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 7.46.34 PMby: Brady Vernon06/02/26BradyVernon

It’s arguably been the toughest stretch of NiJaree Canady’s storied career. When she needed to give her best, she brought it. The vintage NiJaree Canady performance led Texas Tech to a 2-0 win over Alabama and into the WCWS championship series for the second straight year.

Canady sat down the first seven batters she faced before Salen Hawkins roped a single into center field. Canady erased her after making a good play on a fielder’s choice. Alabama did put a runner in scoring position for leadoff Jena Young, but she flew out to end the frame.

From there, Canady was on cruise control. She retired 14 of the last 17 batters she faced. Canady didn’t allow her second hit until Audrey Vandagriff poked a double down the third base line as Alabama was down to their last out. Ambrey Taylor represented the tying run and hit a ball hard to right field, but Lauren Allred made the running grab to end the game. Canady went the distance, allowing two hits and one walk, while striking out six batters.

“Honestly, (Pitching) Coach Tara (Archibald) kept saying to go at hitters,” Canady said. “I don’t know, I just kept reminding myself timid has no power and God doesn’t give a spirit of timidity. So just trying to remember that and remembering anything like that is not from God. Just knowing to go at hitters.

“Obviously this postseason hasn’t gone the way I wanted it to go. I feel like I haven’t been my best. But like (Head) Coach (Gerry) Glasco said, it’s about when you peak. I don’t know, if I’m going to be good, at least it’s towards the end of the year.”

There was a moment in the earlier game where ESPN caught a converstaion between Canady and Texas Tech head coach Gerry Glasco where it appeared emotions were high after Canady had allowed a game-tying home run. It explains how a coach has to coach in high pressure moments and how players come out better from the other side.

“She shook off a fastball and threw a change-up or vice versa, and I just let her know, like I’m paying a pitching coach a lot of money to call pitches,” Glasco said. “If you shake it off, it better work. If it don’t, you own it. You take accountability. We’re in a close game.”

“It’s kind of shocking to me when the kids talk about I’m a good coach because I’m hard on them. Like I’m a hard coach to play for. People don’t realize that when they watch the press conference, but in practice we’ve got a job to do, you’re never perfect, but there’s a right way to do things.

“So she shook it off, but we give her that. We give her that privilege. If it’s a one-run game and we give up the lead, when you shake it off in that moment, you’d better be sure you have the right idea. I remember now what it is, she threw a change-up, and it bounced. Then the batter knows on 3-2, we got to go — we only have one pitch left, and that’s the fastball. You don’t want to box yourself in. No big deal, but right there at the end, she shook them off and threw the changeup and struck her out. We were all laughing.

“That’s the greatness of NiJa, I tore her up about it, I’m getting on her, and she still had the courage to do it a couple times in the game, and I don’t mind that at all. I don’t think you need to shake off ten. If you shake off ten times, I need to get a different pitching coach. Two times, then maybe that’s a great thing. You see how she responds. She’s pure class, extremely intelligent, far more intelligent than her coach, and we want to give her that freedom.”

Jocelyn Briski was sharper than she was in the first game against Alabama. However, she was still missing her spots more than she typically does. That was evident in the fourth inning. Jasmyn Burns smoked a dropball over the heart of the plate for a solo home run, scoring the first run of the game.

Jasmyn Burns rounds the bases after her home run at the 2026 WCWS (Crash Kamon / Softball America)

After struggling for most of the game with runners on base, the Red Raiders finally broke through in the top of the seventh for a much-needed insurance run. Mihyia Davis hit a hard bouncer past Abby Duchscherer at first base. Lauren Allred executed a perfect hit-and-run, lining a ball into center. Davis was well on her way to third, the throw from Kristen White was way off line and trickled into the dugout, allowing Davis to score. The Red Raiders did load the bases but failed to add more to their lead.

Texas Tech had more chances against Briski, but could never finish its rally. Mia Williams had the most success against Briski early on. She led the game off with a single. Allred followed with an infield single to put two on. Briski ended the threat by setting down Jackie Lis and Taylor Pannell.

Williams started another rally with a bloop single to start the third. Briski then hit Davis, who was trying to bunt. The heart of the Texas Tech lineup had a prime opportunity to score. Briski retired Allred, Lis and Pannell without much resistance.

Davis lined a ball to right and used her incredible speed to leg out a double in the fifth. That presented another RBI chance for Allred and Lis. Briski came through again, inducing groundballs from each of them.

Texas Tech was in business again in the sixth. Pannell and Burns led off with back-to-back singles. Similar to the first game on Monday, Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy called upon Moten to have Briski’s back. Moten clearly brushed off the walk-off homer she surrendered hours before, setting down all three batters she faced in the inning, stranding both runners. Texas Tech ended the game 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

“I think her timing was off a little bit unfortunately, and that happens,” said Murphy about Briski. “She gutted it out as much as she could. I mean, we were watching perfection basically for the last four weekends, and unfortunately, we needed to score some more runs this game. That would have helped. But she gave us everything. You lose 2-0, and it was a weird play on the second run. She had only given up the one. So she gave us an opportunity.”

Texas Tech will face Texas, the defending national champions, in a rematch of last season’s WCWS championship series. Game One will be on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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