Nijaree Canady, the standout pitcher from Texas Tech, has thrown every pitch during the Red Raiders' Women's College World Series run—that is, until Game 3 of the championship series vs. Texas.
Canady pitched in the first inning, but gave up five runs to the Longhorns. In the bottom of the second inning, Canady did not take the mound as Chloe Riassetto replaced her. It was weird seeing Canady sitting in the dugout instead of standing on the mound.
The outcomes of Games 1 and 2 did somewhat rest on Canady's final pitches in both contests. In Game 1, Texas' Reese Atwood hit a RBI single off of Canady while she was trying to intentionally walk the Longhorn. Atwood brought two runs in, which eventually won Texas the game. In Game 2, Canady struck out the final batter when there was a runner on third, who could've tied up the contest.
If her appearance in the WCWS is officially over, Canady will walk away with an incredible performance that even led her to sign another seven-figure NIL deal with Texas Tech. Her new $1 million deal is the second one she's received while with the Red Raiders, and it's the largest ever for a softball player.
More on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nijaree Canady Taken Out of WCWS Game 3 After Giving Up Five Runs in First Inning.