Mia Williams Softball Powers Texas Tech Past Florida 16-7
mia williams softball came through in the biggest inning Texas Tech needed, and the No. 11 Red Raiders turned that surge into a 16-7 win over No. 6 Florida in game three of the Gainesville Super Regional. The victory sent Texas Tech back to the Women’s College World Series for a second consecutive appearance after Florida forced a winner-take-all game.
Williams Sparks Texas Tech
Williams was hit by a pitch in the first inning, then scored on Jasmyn Burns’s single to left field as Texas Tech opened a 2-0 lead. Burns drove in Williams and Jackie Lis, and Taylor Pannell later added a lineout to left field that pushed the Red Raiders ahead 3-0.
Florida answered fast. Kenleigh Calahan hit a two-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the second inning to put the Gators in front 4-2, and Texas Tech had to reset after Kaitlyn Terry allowed three runs on four hits in 0.2 innings pitched.
Canady Stabilizes The Circle
NiJaree Canady took over in relief, and the game then stopped for a lightning delay before resuming about 1:50 p.m. Texas Tech needed the pause to regroup, and the first swing after it flipped the game back.
Williams launched a two-run home run after play resumed to give Texas Tech a 5-4 lead. Lis followed with a two-run shot of her own for a 7-4 edge, but Florida kept answering long enough to make the finish crowded again.
Texas Tech Pulls Away
Ava Brown tied the game at 7-7 with a three-run home run, and Texas Tech responded with more power instead of settling for a one-run edge. Pannell hit a solo home run to make it 8-7, Lis added a three-run home run for her second of the day and an 11-7 lead, and Pannell later followed with a two-run home run for her second of the game and a 12-7 advantage.
Florida loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth before Texas Tech escaped the jam, which kept the margin from narrowing when the Gators still had a chance to climb back in. Keagan Rothrock took the loss after two innings and eight runs on six hits, while Leah Stevens worked 1.1 innings and allowed four runs on four hits with two strikeouts.
Texas Tech had already won game one 10-8 and lost game two 10-2 before finishing the series with a blowout in game three. That split left no room for another mistake, and the Red Raiders closed the Gainesville Super Regional with the kind of power output that carried them back to the Women’s College World Series.
