GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Texas Tech came out swinging Sunday and didn’t let up.

As a result, the Red Raiders are returning to the Women’s College World Series.

Texas Tech pounded host Florida 16-7 to win the decisive Game 3 of their super regional, with the game called because of the mercy rule in the fifth inning.

The Red Raiders (57-7), last year’s national runner-up, will return to Oklahoma City for the WCWS later this week after scoring in each inning, with 11 runs in the first three innings to outslug the Gators (52-12). Texas Tech will face Mississippi State in its first WCWS game.

Jackie Lis drove in five runs to lead Tech while Taylor Pannell plated four and Jasmyn Burns and Mia Williams, a former Florida player, had two RBIs apiece. 

The Red Raiders started fast, with three first-inning runs on Burns’ two-run single and Hailey Toney scoring on a two-out error.

The Gators responded with four runs with two outs on Kendall Grover’s two-run double and Kenleigh Cahalan’s two-run homer.

But Tech responded with Williams ‘two-run homer in the second and two batters later, Lis cracked her own two-run shot for a 7-4 lead.

Florida struck right back to tie it at 7-7 on a three-run homer by Lake Creek graduate Ava Brown. But that would be it for the Gators’ scoring.

Tech scored the game’s final nine runs, getting a solo homer from Pannell and a three-run shot from Lis in the third. Pannell added a two-run homer in the fourth. The Red Raiders then capped the day with three runs in the fifth on an error and then base-loaded walks to Pannell and Nijaree Canady.

Canady picked up her 100th career win after working three innings of relief, allowing two runs.

For the first time since 2015, the Women’s College World Series will not include Oklahoma after the Sooners were routed 6-0 by Mississippi State in Game 3 of their super regional in Norman, Okla.

Oklahoma (52-10) managed just three hits as Delainey Everett tossed a shutout for Mississippi State (43-19), which is going to its first WCWS. The shutout was the first against Oklahoma since 2019, a span of 339 games, and the first at home since 2015.

Kinley Keller drove in three runs for the Bulldogs, with Morgan Bernardini adding two RBIs. The Bulldogs struck first on Keller’s two-run single in the first inning and didn’t look back. They then added four runs in the middle innings to make it a rout.