OU softball title streak ends as NiJaree Canady, Texas Tech tops Sooners in WCWS semifinal
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It looked like OU softball had struck another round of Sooner Magic.
But it was short-lived.
There would be no miracle comeback this time, as Texas Tech’s Mihyia Davis raced home on Lauren Allred’s sacrifice fly to right to stun the Sooners with a 3-2 Red Raiders win Monday at Devon Park.
Moments before, with the Sooners down to their final strike, Abigale Dayton had tied it with a stunning two-run home run off Texas Tech star NiJaree Canady.
But Texas Tech still had life on OU’s Sam Landry and they came through.
Davis delivered a one-out single up the middle before Hailey Toney nearly ended the game with a drive to the warning track in left.
ALL GAS NO BREAKS INTO FINALS 🏎️#WCWS x @TexasTechSBpic.twitter.com/8kXCGTXlEh— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) June 3, 2025
But instead, Toney wound up with a double and Davis stood on third with the game-winning run.
After a long conference, Allred skied Landry’s first pitch to shallow right and Sydney Barker camped under it, locked and loaded for the throw home.
Barker’s throw bounced after a sliding Davis, bringing a stunning end to OU’s dynasty.
Canady kept the Sooners off-balance much of the night before Barker’s one-out single in the seventh set up Dayton’s 0-2 blast to tie it on Canady’s 100th pitch of the night.
OU had won a WCWS-record nine consecutive elimination games.
Here are three other takeaways from the Sooners’ win:
Red Raiders patient early, then jump on Sam Landry
Texas Tech showed plenty of patience early against OU starter Sam Landry, with the first six hitters working Landry deep into counts.
But then Demi Elder, Victoria Valdez and Bailey Lindemuth all jumped on Landry’s first pitch in the second.
With one out, Alana Johnson worked a 10-pitch walk.
On Landry’s next pitch, Elder lined a triple into the right-field corner to score Johnson for the game’s first run.
After Valdez popped up to short left for the second out on another first pitch, Lindemuth looped a first-pitch single to center to score Elder to make it 2-0 Red Raiders.
Texas Tech has scored first in 23 consecutive games.
Abigale Dayton nearly ties earlier
Dayton had some previous success against Canady in the past.
Last March, Dayton went 3 for 3 off Canady during a Pac 12 series game between Dayton’s Utah squad and Canady’s Stanford team.
Monday, it was Dayton that gave the Sooners their best chance to score against Canady.
With one out and a runner on first, Dayton jumped on Canady’s first pitch and sent a towering fly ball to left.
But instead of clearing the fence and tying it, the fly died at the warning track, caught for the second out by Tech left fielder Demi Elder.
NiJaree Canady’s changeup befuddles Sooners
The Sooners had to deal with Tennessee fireballer Karlyn Pickens in their WCWS opener.
Canady isn’t quite as overpowering as Pickens, but Canady’s changeup is more deadly.
She showed that Monday, repeatedly going to the pitch in crucial situations and keeping OU off balance.
After Ella Parker led off the sixth with a single to center, Canady worked her way through the heart of the Sooners’ order.
Canady struck out Gabbie Garcia on a changeup for the inning’s first out, and then after Nelly McEnroe-Marinas popped out to second baseman Alexa Langeliers in shallow right, Canady went back to the changeup.
Cydney Sanders, who homered twice in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Oregon, took a changeup for a strike to start her two-out at-bat before swinging through a rise ball on the second pitch.
After Sanders was early on a foul ball and Canady threw a high rise for the first ball of the at-bat, and another change to make it 2-2, the Red Raiders’ superstar stuck with her best pitch.
Sanders was frozen on Canady’s changeup near the bottom of the zone, ending the inning.
Ryan Aber covers OU athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Ryan? He can be reached at raber@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @RyAber. Sign up for the OU Sooners newsletter to access more OU coverage. Support Ryan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma softball ousted by NiJaree Canady, Texas Tech in WCWS semis
