Skip to main content
Softball On SI

College Softball Fans Outraged as ESPN Bumps Red River Rivalry Before Epic Finish

Here's what you might have missed.
Maren Angus-Coombs|
Texas softball's Katie Stewart hit a walk-off home run to beat Oklahoma on Sunday, April 12, 2026.
Texas softball's Katie Stewart hit a walk-off home run to beat Oklahoma on Sunday, April 12, 2026. | Texas Athletics

With the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners leading the No. 4 Texas Longhorns 6-5 headed into the bottom of the eighth inning, college fans were left scrambling on Sunday afternoon.

As Texas was gearing up for an epic comeback, ESPN bumped the Red River Rivalry to the ESPN app for an NBA pregame show.

The worst part is that the cut away came without warning.

Fans were left outraged after missing Hannah Wells' game-tying home run, and some even missed Katie Stewart's walk-off blast to give Texas an 8-6 win.

"What an absoute disaster by ESPN," said SoonerScoop's Bob Przybylo in a social media post. "Kudos to anybody who actually was able to find the bottom of the 8th between /Texas in time. I missed the Hannah Wells' HR. Got to ESPN+ in time for Stewart's bomb. A mess."

Other fans thought NBA Tip Off was a commercial and tried waiting it out before realizing it was too late.

"My daughter and I argued about that," Robert Mather wrote in a response on X. "She thought ESPN bumped it for the NBA. I thought she either changed the channel on us during a commercial or she just wasn't patient enough during the commercial. She was right."

For some, watching the game live on television instead of streaming caused more issues.

Some were able to find the game on the app despite the fact that there was no warning or information about where to find the broadcast.

What Fans Missed

Instead of sending Jaycie Nichols to the plate to lead off the home half of the eighth inning, Texas head coach Mike White called on the freshman, Wells.

After getting down in the count, 0-1, Well cranked a pitch on the inner half out to left field. The ball hung up in the air and dropped just inches beyond the wall, tying the game at 6-6.

Kaydee Bennett popped up and Kayden Henry legged out an infield single to second base, setting the stage for Stewart.

Stewart took two pitches and found herself in a hitter's count, 2-0. The next pitch was elevated just enough and the junior infielder drove it 291 feet. It bounced off the facade of the student housing behind the left field wall, and the third floor might have felt the impact.

"I was being patient," Stewart said after the game. "I had one bad at-bat, but I came, and I was being patient with it, getting what I knew I could handle.

"When I felt contact, I knew it was gone off the bat."

Oklahoma won the series, taking the first two games by scores of 3-0 and 4-3. But, Stewart and the Longhorns won the day.

Texas hit five home runs in the win, and Stewart had two of them. She finished the game 3-for-4 with two home runs, two runs scored, and three runs batted in. Henry was also 3-for-4 with two runs scored, three RBIs, and a home run. Leighann Good and Wells hit the other two homers.

The Sooners combined for nine hits and used five pitchers in the loss. At least eight players recorded a hit and Abby Dayton collected two hits.

Citlaly Gutierrez moved to to 6-1 on the year and Audrey Lowry fell to 18-2.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published | Modified
Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

Home/College