Teagan Kavan threw her second straight complete game and Texas opened the softball college world series finals with a 7-3 win over Texas Tech on Wednesday in Oklahoma City. The victory gave Texas the first game in the best-of-three series at Devon Park.
Kavan Sets the Tone
Kavan handled Game 1 from start to finish, keeping Texas Tech to three runs while Texas backed her with seven. She started the game with the kind of crowd in the stands that has become part of this run, and said before the opener: "A lot of people take a lot of time away and spend a lot of money to bring their kids here".
She added, "I was that little girl, too, that wanted to meet everybody and see everybody." That was the frame for a game Texas needed to control early, and Kavan did it with her second straight complete game.
Devon Park Draws 12,149
The opener drew 12,149 Texas and Texas Tech fans at Devon Park, where the championship atmosphere carried the weight of a series that has already pulled large television attention. More than 2 million viewers were expected to tune in from home, and the 14 mostly heart-stopping games before the finals had already broken ’s ratings records.
Mike White said, "I get texts (about the WCWS) from all over the world, not only just in this country," and added, "It’s amazing." The numbers around the event match the level of attention in the ballpark, with the series now moving into a second game after Texas took the opener.
Texas Tech Faces the Turn
The loss leaves Texas Tech needing a response in a rematch that now runs through Texas’ pitching edge. Texas has already won once in the best-of-three final, and Kavan has given the Longhorns two straight complete games to build on.
The championship backdrop also came after a Wednesday congressional hearing where Maria Cantwell said, "We agree today that college athletics is in crisis," and added, "and we agree that the system is broken and unsustainable." Ted Cruz said, "College athletics is being torn apart from every direction," while the finals showed the sport’s strongest draw on the field and in the stands.
