**Texas Defeats Tennessee 2-0, Advances to Women's College World Series Finals**

The Texas Longhorns are on their way to the 2025 Women's College World Series finals after a decisive 2-0 shutout victory against the Tennessee Lady Volunteers on Monday. This win came just a day after Tennessee's dramatic triumph over UCLA, marking an end to their championship pursuit.

The game started with both teams locked in a defensive battle, as neither could score in the first three innings. Tensions flared in the top of the fourth inning when Tennessee's hitting coach, Craig Snider, was ejected for disputing the home-plate umpire's calls. Snider's dismissal came after a debatable strikeout call, which led him to storm out of the dugout to confront the umpire before being sent to the clubhouse.

Texas pitcher Mac Morgan managed to maintain her composure following the incident, which might have spurred her team's momentum. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Katie Stewart's solo home run over the left-field wall gave Texas a crucial 1-0 lead, breaking the deadlock.

Morgan, who had tallied a season-high four strikeouts, was replaced by sophomore pitcher Teagan Kavan. Kavan delivered two scoreless and hitless innings, extending Texas's dominance. In the bottom of the sixth, Texas added an insurance run. Joley Mitchell earned a walk, Stewart contributed a single, putting runners in scoring position, and Victoria Hunter's ground ball to third prompted an errant throw by Tennessee’s Taylor Pannell. The misfire allowed Mitchell to score, pushing the lead to 2-0.

Kavan aimed to close the game in the seventh inning. Despite allowing hard contact to the first two batters, stellar defensive plays by Mia Scott and Leighann Goode prevented any hits. Kavan then sealed the victory by striking out Emma Clarke for the final out.

Morgan and Kavan's strong pitching performances were instrumental in the win. Morgan allowed only three hits over four innings, while Kavan didn't give up a single hit in the last three innings. Tennessee couldn’t muster any hits after Snider's ejection, which diminished their chances of a comeback.

With this victory, Texas progresses to the finals set to begin on Wednesday. Their opponent will be determined by the outcome of the Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech match-up on Monday. Oklahoma, already with one loss, needs to win twice against Texas Tech to advance, whereas Texas Tech can secure their spot in the finals with just one victory.