On Tuesday, the Texas Tech Red Raiders beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Women’s College World Series Semi-Finals to secure a spot in the championship series, where they will face the Texas Longhorns for the 2026 title. The No. 11 seed Red Raiders forced a deciding game after winning the first game, 5-4, at Devon Park, OKC.
While the Red Raiders were clinical in the second game, a 2-0 shutout over Bama, the first game drew media attention. In the fifth inning, Crimson Tide OF Audrey Vandagriff failed to catch a pop-up fly by Red Raiders 3B Taylor Pannell, leading to a two-run home run and a 4-2 Raiders lead.
At first, the catch appeared feasible for the outfielder who was positioned close to the wall, but somehow failed to jump properly, allowing the ball to soar over the left field wall. Fans quickly reacted to the viral moment from the semi-final, with many questioning the outfielder’s actions as suspicious.
“Check her betting account there is no way,” one fan commented.
“This makes me irrationally angry, and I don’t even have a dog in the race lol just purely as a former athlete…HOW do you, as a college athlete, not jump and catch that??” another fan commented.
“I’m sorry, but given the stakes of the game and the score and the situation you’ve got to do better than that. That’s a pathetic effort. I understand women can’t jump as high as guys, but you’ve got to at least try better than that,” yet another fan commented.
Some other fans attempted to offer a viable justification for Vandagriff’s missed attempt, with some stating she misjudged the ball’s height. In contrast, others claimed she was playing with an oblique injury, thereby preventing her from showcasing her athleticism during the semi-final.
“She misjudged the height of the ball, its not because she is lazy. It’s hard to catch a fly ball up against the fence because you can’t go back any further so its a split second decision. We are talking about ripping a kid for not robbing a home run, really,” one fan commented.
“She is playing with an oblique injury, softball expert announcers might have noticed in her running and swings. She didn’t jump as high as normal,” another fan commented.
“Pretty solid attempt at a ball over the wall IMO.. she just missed it. Have to worry about crashing into the wall.. missed the catch by a couple of inches,” yet another fan commented.
Alabama Head Coach Strikes a Positive Tone For Next Season
After the season-ending loss, Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy and players Marlie Giles and Jena Young addressed the media for a post-game press conference, where they reflected on multiple aspects of the tournament. In the end, Murphy was asked to share his goals and expectations for the team for the next season.
“You have a whole summer. We have five really good high school kids coming, and I’m pleased that all five are coming. They’re going to be very, very good. Everybody needs to improve, get a little better, do something over the summer, and hopefully you’ll see us here again next year. That would be awesome,” Murphy said.
While Bama will hope to make a triumphant run beyond the semi-final stage next year, the Red Raiders are all set to aim for their maiden WCWS title in program history as they take on one-time winner and fellow city rivals the Longhorns in the summit clash, starting Wednesday in OKC.
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