It’s a new record in the Women’s College World Series! We have probably witnessed something that many haven’t thought about in the battle of the titans. A massive number in the opening game, setting a new viewership record for the first time. In fact, the viewership record came close to the average of the rival Stanley Cup finals. Were you one of the viewers, too?
Any guesses about the average viewership for the Stanley Cup? Around 2.42 million. But for the Women’s College World Series, with two state teams competing against each other for the national title, it was a hard miss. So, the average of 2.1 million peaked at 2.8 million! A record in itself…
In the highly anticipated tussle between the Texas Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders, Longhorns’ slugger Reese Atwood led the team to a 2-1 win over the Red Raiders. Despite a chance of getting intentionally walked by NiJaree Canady of Texas Tech, Atwood made sure to keep her calm. And as expected, she capitalized in the fourth inning, hitting a single to left field and scoring two runs. And eventually, it resulted in the Longhorns winning the game.
It was a cracker of a game. And if we go by the numbers, as per ESPN’s latest reports, the opening day game is currently the most-watched in the Women’s College World Series. And fans who flocked in large numbers to the stadium weren’t disappointed, either.
Well, it showed that women in the sport carry just the same hype as men. True that for years, the hype was a little down. But the gap is clearly fading now. And with so much action and drama (that obstruction call that might have cost the game) in Texas’s victory, there are no signs of the hype dwindling.
Now the real deal—will game number 2 be able to fetch more viewership?
With both the team eyeing their first College WS title, it will be interesting to watch who smiles till the end…
Texas Tech bounced back and levelled the series
Well, just as we thought that we might be able to witness the Texas Longhorns getting another win over Tech, the series became way more intense. In a battle of grit between the two teams, the stakes were high, both teams having aspirations of winning the national title. But only one can!
The Texas Tech Red Raiders’ ace, NiJaree Canady, played spoilsport. Canady managed to strike out the Texas outfielder, Kayden Henry, eventually handing them a defeat, taking the series to the final decisive game that’s going to happen on Friday night. But she wasn’t the only one who made things difficult for the Texas Longhorns.
The Longhorns’ pitcher, Cambria Salmon, tried her best to hit Alana Johnson with the bases filled, trying to break the scoreless tie in the fifth. But soon after, the Red Raiders scored another run, and the ball was grounded low, which Reese Atwood was unable to stop.
Although the lead was soon broken down by Mia Scott, who homered one in the sixth inning, there came Canady again. She not only struck out Atwood but also got Joley Mitchell, who got fouled out at third base. And the problem didn’t end for the Longhorns there. The Red Raiders scored two more runs, and then, it was all done. Texas Tech made their redemption with a 4-3 win.
Now, with the series finale knocking on the door, we can expect a surge in viewership numbers, maybe even more than the first and second games. What do you think?
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