Texas Shuts Down No. 7 Tennessee to Secure WCWS Championship Berth

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OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — The cushion of the winners’ bracket evaporated under a blistering Texas sun on Monday afternoon.

Needing just one victory to advance to their first championship series since 2013, the No. 7 seed Tennessee Lady Volunteers ran headfirst into a relentless, battle-tested defending champion. The No. 2 seed Texas Longhorns completely flipped the script at Devon Park, defeating the Lady Vols twice in a Monday doubleheader—5–2 in the afternoon opener and 4–0 in the winner-take-all finale—to punch their ticket back to the Women’s College World Series (WCWS) Championship Series.

For Karen Weekly’s squad, a magical, undefeated start in Oklahoma City came to a heartbreaking halt just one step short of the grand finale. Again.

Game 1: Longhorns Power Past Mardjetko (5–2)

Texas head coach Mike White admitted his team was caught off guard by sophomore Sage Mardjetko earlier in the tournament, but the Longhorns clearly did their homework for the rematch. Texas generated an aggressive offensive blueprint, tagging Mardjetko for her most runs allowed in a single game all season.

After Tennessee fought to keep things scoreless early, the Longhorns broke through in the top of the fourth inning. Reese Atwood ignited the dugout by lining a solo shot out to dead center for her first career WCWS home run.

The Lady Vols briefly answered to tie the game in the bottom half of the frame, but Texas sniper Katie Stewart quickly crushed any momentum, muscling a go-ahead solo home run over the left-field wall in the fifth. Freshman Hannah Wells extended the cushion moments later, rattling a two-run double off the top of the center-field wall to chase Mardjetko from the circle.

On the rubber, Citlaly Gutierrez gave the Longhorns a masterful, season-high 6.2 innings of work, surrendering just one earned run before handing the ball to ace Teagan Kavan to secure the final out and force the “if-necessary” rematch.

Game 2: Kavan’s Two-Hit Masterclass Silences Lady Vols (4–0)

With all the momentum sliding over to the third-base dugout, the winner-take-all evening matchup belonged entirely to Texas freshman sensation Teagan Kavan.

Kavan was an absolute buzzsaw, putting together a legendary complete-game performance. She completely paralyzed a usually explosive Tennessee lineup, throwing a spectacular two-hit shutout while racking up 10 strikeouts to eliminate the Lady Vols.

“I think I was able to mix a little bit more than I did the first day,” Kavan said postgame. “I was able to keep them off the board today, and so that was huge just to keep our team in the game.”

While Kavan held the fort, the Longhorns’ offense provided all the cushion she would need. Katie Stewart struck again, homering for the second time on the day. The towering blast marked her 30th home run of the season, making her just the fourth player in Division I history to cross the 30-HR milestone in a single year. Tennessee’s Karlyn Pickens fought valiantly in the circle, but the Lady Vols’ bats went completely ice-cold, failing to mount a late-game rally against Kavan’s elite spin rates.

What’s Next?

With the twin killings on Monday, the defending champion Texas Longhorns become the 11th team in softball history to successfully fight out of the losers’ bracket to reach the Championship Series. They will enjoy a much-deserved rest day on Tuesday before beginning a best-of-three series on Wednesday, June 3, to defend their crown.

For Tennessee, a phenomenal 2026 campaign concludes with a standard of excellence. Though falling short of the title series cuts deep, the Lady Vols firmly established themselves as one of the premier giants of the college softball landscape.