The season’s biggest stage delivered heartbreak for the sixth-seeded West Texas A&M Lady Buffs on Thursday night as they dropped a crushing 5-4 extra-inning decision to fourth-seeded Cal State San Marcos in their opening game of the 2026 College World Series at Frost Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

For much of the night, the Lady Buffs appeared poised to survive and advance after battling through a tense pitcher’s duel that stretched into extra innings. Instead, WT was left stunned after the Cougars rallied late and capitalized on a costly defensive mistake in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk away with the dramatic victory.

WT struck first in the top of the second inning after loading the bases with no outs. Avery Cannon lifted a sacrifice fly to left-center field that allowed Cadence Colborn to score and gave the Lady Buffs an early 1-0 advantage. The run provided momentum for WT and starting pitcher Brooke Janning, who kept the Cougars off balance through the early innings.

Cal State San Marcos finally broke through in the fourth inning. With one out, Alizabeth Ruiz lined an RBI single down the right field line to score Czar Fleischman and even the game at 1-1. From there, both teams traded defensive stops and stranded runners as the pressure mounted late into regulation.

The Lady Buffs threatened to reclaim the lead in the seventh inning when Jordyn De Los Santos reached on an error and Abby Howell followed with a single to center field. WT managed to move De Los Santos to third with two outs, but the Cougars escaped the jam with an inning-ending groundout to force extra innings.

The eighth inning delivered the offensive explosion both teams had been searching for. Brooke Janning and Emily Liskai opened the frame with walks, setting the table for WT to finally break through. After the Cougars recorded a fielder’s choice to erase the lead runner, Laci Peskey delivered a clutch pinch-hit single that brought Janning home for a 2-1 lead.

Moments later, De Los Santos delivered the biggest hit of the game for WT, lining a two-out single to center field that plated two more runs. The hit pushed her season RBI total to 95, tying the Lone Star Conference single-season record and seemingly putting the Lady Buffs in control with a 4-1 advantage.

But the Cougars refused to fade quietly on their home half of the eighth inning. Fleischman doubled into the gap in right-center field to score Kaila Siu and trim the deficit to two. Then Sarah Bull changed the game entirely with a towering two-run homer that clipped the left field foul pole, tying the score at 4-4 and electrifying the crowd inside Warner Park.

One inning later, Cal State San Marcos completed the comeback in unconventional fashion. Jordan Elias opened the ninth with a single and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. WT attempted to cut down the lead runner at third base, but an errant throw skipped away and allowed Elias to race home with the winning run.

Janning was charged with the loss despite a gritty complete-game performance. The WT ace allowed five runs, four earned, on 10 hits while striking out six.

The defeat sends the Lady Buffs into the elimination bracket, where their season will once again be on the line Saturday morning against eighth-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m. CT at Frost Stadium.