OKLAHOMA CITY — It’s do or die for both Texas softball and Mississippi State in the unforgiving double-elimination format of the Women’s College World Series. The defending champion Longhorns (47-12), the NCAA Tournament’s second overall seed, face off with unseeded Mississippi State (43-20) Friday at 6 p.m. in the first of a losers’ bracket doubleheader at Devon Park.
Texas lost 6-3 to Tennessee in its WCWS opener Thursday while Mississippi State fell to Texas Tech 8-0 in five innings.
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Pick up a win, and either Texas or the Bulldogs advance to a Sunday matchup with the loser of Saturday’s game between Alabama and Nebraska. Lose, and it’s time to start planning for next season.
Read below for live scores and updates Friday as the Texas Longhorns face the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Women’s College World Series.
MORE: Texas softball coach seeks ‘underdog’ fight from Longhorns in must-win Game 2 vs Bulldogs
Texas Longhorns outfielder Kayden Henry (21) bats in the third inning as the Texas Longhorns take on the Oklahoma State Cowgirls at McCombs Field in Austin, April 22, 2026.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
Texas ace Teagan Kavan finishes her seventh career complete-game win and her third complete-game shutout at the WCWS as the Longhorns stay alive. Next up? Either Alabama or Nebraska Sunday at 3 p.m.
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Katie Stewart isn’t just a slugger; the All-American can run, too. After reaching first on a walk, she motors around the bags on a Vivi Martinez double and just beats the throw at home. Some insurance for Texas, and it means an appearance by Mississippi State star pitcher Alyssa Faircloth, one of just two All-SEC players on the Bulldog team.
Texas 2B Leighann Goode gets the first out with a diving grab. The Texas defense has been stellar behind Teagan Kavan tonight; the Longhorn ace has just one strikeout but is on pace for a complete-game shutout.
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Texas leaves the bases juiced after pinch hitter Kaydee Bennett grounds out to second for the third out. The Longhorns have stranded six runners in this game and can’t quite find that dagger hit.
Tournament Teagan has reappeared in this do-or-die game for Texas. She sends the Bulldogs down in order again and has now allowed just two hits without a walk. Oh, and 38 of her 53 pitches have been strikes. That’s efficiency for Teagan Kavan.
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Kayden Henry hammers a liner over the right-field wall for a solo shot with one out. That’s a heckuva way for new Mississippi State pitcher Peja Goold to enter the game. With a win, Texas gets tomorrow off, so don’t be surprised in coach Mike White rides the arm of Tegan Kavan to the finish line in this elimination game.
Xiane Romero gets her second hit of the game for the Bulldogs, which are the only two hits allowed by Texas starter Teagan Kavan. But that’s it for the Bulldogs. It looks like Peja Goold will start the fifth in place of Delainey Everett for Mississippi State. She boasts an ERA of 2.45 and an opponent’s batting average of .184.
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Mississippi State 1B Paige Ernstes robs Texas LF Kaiah Altmeyer of her second hit of the game with a leaping snag of a line drive, and she doubles up Ashton Maloney to end the inning. The Bulldogs are hanging around.
Teagan Kavan continues her uber-efficient game. She again retires the side in order and has thrown just 36 pitches. Morgan Stiles did give Kavan and the Texas fans a fright with a deep flyout to the warning track in right field for the third out.
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Kayden Henry leads off the frame with a double, and Katie Stewart gets hit in the left forearm. Both move up on a bunt by Vivi Martinez, but Reese Atwood strikes out and Leighann Goode flies out. That’s a big escape by Mississippi State’s Delainey Everett.
Three defensive gems by Texas help Texas starter Teagan Kavan work a 1-2-3 inning. Katie Stewart snagged a grounder at first for an unassisted out, Kaiah Altmeyer raced down a flyball into left, and SS Vivi Martinez threw a dart to first from deep in the hole.
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Texas OF Kaiah Altmeyer takes a big swing on the first pitch she sees from Mississippi State’s Delainey Everett and sends it into the right-field bleachers. The Arizona transfer, making her WCWS debut this year, gives Texas a lead with a two-run shot, her first homer of the season.
Mississippi State 2B Xiane Romero hammers a two-out double to the wall for the game’s first hit, but the Bulldogs can’t move her along vs Teagan Kavan.
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Katie Stewart earns a one-out walk but Mississippi State’s Delainey Everett fans Vivi Martinez to help get out of the frame without any damage.
Mississippi State’s Delainey Everett, a southpaw, delivers a ball to Texas CF Kayden Henry, and we’re off in an elimination game at the WCWS
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Not surprisingly, Texas coach Mike White will start ace Teagan Kavan after she threw just three innings in yesterday’s 6-3 loss to Tennessee. Kavan did give up three hits and three runs on 54 pitches against the Vols but has solidified her status as one of the game’s true aces this season with a 24-6 record, a 2.54 ERA and a career-high 233 strikeouts in 198⅓ innings.
Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts has thrown a curveball with her lineup. Delainey Everett gets just her second start of the season instead of ace Alyssa Faircloth or fellow workhorse Peja Goold. Everett, last year’s staff ace, has thrown just 20⅓ innings this season because of injuries and the effectiveness of Goold and Faircloth. But she has a .69 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP and threw a complete-game shutout in Game 3 of the Super Regional series against powerhouse Oklahoma last week.
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SpotPos# PlayerBatsTodayAvg1cf21 Kayden HenryL0-0.41121b20 Katie StewartR0-0.4283ss23 Viviana MartinezL0-0.3824c14 Reese AtwoodR0-0.33752b43 Leighann GoodeR0-0.3476dp13 Hannah WellsR0-0.2827rf7 Ashton MaloneyL0-0.3058lf44 Kaiah AltmeyerL0-0.29193b24 Jaycie NicholsR0-0.33310p17 Teagan KavanR0-0-
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SpotPos# PlayerBatsTodayAvg1ss24 Morgan StilesR0-0.31623b10 Nadia BarbaryR0-0.32632b83 Xiane RomeroR0-0.2374rf33 Kinley KellerR0-0.3305lf13 Morgan BernardiniR0-0.25361b12 Paige ErnstesR0-0.1897dp9 Kiarra SellsR0-0.3298cf22 Tatum SilvaL0-0.2889c23 Des RiveraR0-0.26110p48 Delainey EverettL0-0-
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Where: Devon Park, Oklahoma City
TV/radio: ESPN2; texaslonghorns.com