Texas Survives Again Behind Kavan’s WCWS Gem

Texas softball keeps walking the postseason tightrope, and somehow the Longhorns keep refusing to fall.

Facing another elimination game at the Women’s College World Series, Texas rode a vintage Teagan Kavan performance and enough timely power to knock out Mississippi State 4-0.

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Kavan, last year’s WCWS MVP, entered the night needing a reset after an uneven postseason stretch and a rough outing in the loss to Tennessee. She got it.

The Texas ace threw a complete-game four-hit shutout, keeping Mississippi State off the scoreboard for all seven innings and slamming the door with a strikeout after a tense seventh-inning jam.

Mississippi State put the first two runners on in the bottom of the seventh, threatening to turn a clean Texas win into chaos.

Kavan didn’t blink. She worked out of trouble, finished the shutout and sent the Bulldogs home after they failed to score a run in two WCWS games.

Texas gave Kavan the cushion she needed with the long ball.

Kaiah Altmeyer struck first with a two-run homer to right field, giving the Longhorns the early lead against Mississippi State pitcher Delainey Everett.

Kayden Henry later ripped a solo shot down the right-field line that stayed fair, pushing the lead to 3-0.

Ashton Maloney also added power to the Texas attack, helping the Longhorns keep pressure on a Bulldogs team that never found an offensive answer.

The final blow came in the seventh when Viviana Martinez doubled to center and brought home Katie Stewart.

The play at the plate was reviewed and confirmed, giving Texas a 4-0 lead and a little breathing room before Kavan’s final test.

Texas also got a defensive spark from Leighann Goode, who robbed a line drive in the sixth as Kavan continued cruising.

This is now the third elimination game Texas has won in the postseason.

The Longhorns faced the same pressure twice in the Super Regional against Arizona State and escaped both times.

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At this point, elimination might be where Texas is most dangerous.

The Longhorns will play again Sunday, with the opponent and time still to be determined. They’re not out of danger.

But they’re not done, either.

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