Texas Tech’s pitching empire crumbles in WCWS as Texas' Katie Stewart lights fuse

OKLAHOMA CITY — Heading into the bottom of the first inning at Devon Park on Wednesday night, Texas Tech head coach Gerry Glasco was feeling good. His team had quickly built a one-run lead in the first game of the Women’s College World Series final. The vibes were high.

>And then, Texas slugger Katie Stewart changed his mood.

>The Red Raiders allowed Longhorns’ leadoff hitter Kayden Henry to reach first base on a bunt. Stewart entered the batter’s box next and Glasco had a bad feeling.

>“I felt like we weren't ready for the bunt. We didn't anticipate it,” Glasco said. “And then you get Katie Stewart up and she's having an unbelievable year, and she did what she's been doing all year. She's so clutch, just a great hitter and having a great season. And then we just couldn't get out of the inning.”

>Stewart connected on the second pitch she saw from Kaitlyn Terry. It was a backdoor curveball that didn’t go in the direction Terry intended, landing in the middle of the plate instead of riding the outside chalk. Stewart met the 1-0 offering with the barrel of her bat, sending the ball 263 feet deep into centerfield with an exit velocity of 80.8 miles per hour.

>“A great hitter can take advantage of that, so that's part of the game,” Glasco said. “When you play Texas, you know Katie Stewart's going to get her licks in.”

>The two-run homer by Stewart put Texas back in front and swung the momentum back to the Longhorns. Her homer was the spark to an offensive surge, as Texas scored three more runs in the first inning and went on to win Game 1 of a best-of-three series 7-3.

>Stewart finished 1 for 2 with that two-RBI bomb and a walk. She now has 31 home runs on the season and four straight games with at least one long ball.

>“Just keeping my approach simple, really not overthinking anything in the box. Just not missing my pitch when I get it,” Stewart said. “Really, that was just the whole approach I took to that at-bat.”

>Texas head coach Mike White said: “The game started with a bang, literally.”

>White said Texas accomplished two goals in the first inning by wearing out Texas Tech’s pitching staff and responding when they fell behind.

>When Texas Tech’s Mihyia Davis hit a home run in the top of the first, Texas’ offense answered in a big way. And it all began with Stewart’s big bat.

>“We talked about the No. 1 thing is confidence. You know, what comes first, confidence or success? I think the confidence has to come first, and it comes from different hard work and preparation,” White said. “We got answer innings. When we get down, we’ve got to answer back. Momentum is everything in this game, and you can tell that (Texas Tech) had a chance to swing things.”

>Terry threw 16 pitches in 0.2 innings of work before being replaced by NiJaree Canady, who then gave up three more runs. Canady was yanked after 1.1 innings of work and replaced by freshman Sam Lincoln.

>Texas Tech has had one of the best pitching staffs in the country all season, as Terry and Canady entered this game ranking in the top 20 nationally in ERA with figures below 1.86. They’ve also combined for 421 strikeouts.

>But when the third inning started, neither of them were in the circle. Suddenly, a big obstacle on the path to victory had been pushed out of the Longhorns’ way.

>“I think we were able to attack early,” Stewart said. “We were able to chase Terry out the game quickly.”

>A junior first baseman from Frankfurt, Illinois, Stewart has emerged as the top hitter for Texas this season. She leads the Longhorns in batting average (.430), home runs (31), RBIs (79), walks (45) and OPS (1.556). Stewart’s OPS ranks as eighth-best in the nation.

>On Monday, Stewart left Texas’ second win over Tennessee early after a groundball hit her in the face. She said she suffered nothing more than a split lip. If any fans were worried about whether the two-time All-SEC selection would be impacted by the injury, they got an answer on Wednesday: Stewart is just fine and is a big reason why the Longhorns are one win from their second consecutive national championship.

>This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Katie Stewart’s bomb powered Texas past Texas Tech in Game 1 of the WCWS