Canady dominates on mound, Texas Tech scores 2 unearned runs to edge Florida State, make first WCWS

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — NiJaree Canady scattered three hits for her second-straight complete game in less than 24 hours, pitching Texas Tech to its first-ever Women’s College World Series with a 2-1 win over Florida State on Friday.

After throwing a two-hit shutout on Thursday night, Canady came back on Friday afternoon and blanked the fifth-seeded Seminoles until the seventh inning.

Canady (30-5) walked her only batter of the game on four pitches to lead off the top of the seventh. Michaela Edenfield followed with a double to right center. Shelby McKenzie got the RBI with an infield chopper but Canady got the last two hitters to pop out to first baseman Lauren Allred in foul territory.

The 12th-seeded Red Raiders (50-12) plated runs in the first, on a sacrifice fly Alana Johnson, and in the fifth, on Demi Elder’s single up the middle. Both runs were unearned. FSU had four errors.

Julia Apsel (12-2) took the loss for the Seminoles (49-12),

Canady, the reigning National Player of the Year, transferred from Stanford, where she reached two WCWS, for a reported $1 million in name, likeness and image money and promptly turned Texas Tech into a contender. She is one of three finalists for the national award again, sporting a sub-1.00 earned-run average. Texas Tech won its first Big 12 Conference title, hosted a regional for the first time ever and made its first super regional.

The Red Raiders will play the winner of the Ole-Miss-Arkansas Super Regional on Thursday at the WCWS in Oklahoma City.

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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports