University of Texas Athletics – Hailey Dolcini

Humboldt County will be represented in this year’s Women’s College World Series championship series.

Hailey Dolcini and the Texas Longhorns completed a magical day in Oklahoma City on Monday by winning back-to-back elimination games and advancing to the finals against defending national champion Oklahoma.

The best-of-three championship series begins on Wednesday.

Dolcini has been a force in the pitcher’s circle all season for the Longhorns, and in particular during an amazing playoff run.

Over the past three weeks, Dolcini has knocked off four of the top-11 teams in the nation, including No. 11 Washington (twice), No. 4 Arkansas, No. 5 UCLA and now No. 7 Oklahoma State.

The Longhorns needed to beat the Cowgirls twice in one day, and they responded with a 5-0 shutout in the opener and a 6-5 win in game two.

Dolcini got the win in relief of teammate Estelle Czech in game two.

She pitched 4.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on one hit and striking out three.

The win was Dolcini’s first of the season against conference rival Oklahoma State after dropping three earlier matchups between the two teams.

The two wins on the day were also the Longhorns’ first this season against the Oklahoma State women, who had won all four regular season games between the two teams. 

It was also Dolcini’s sixth win in the Longhorns’ remarkable playoff run, compared to three losses, and she is now 3-1 at this week’s WCWS.

The Texas women trailed 5-0 early in the game but railed to score three runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings, and Dolcini and her defense was able to hold on down the stretch.

Last week, Dolcini became the first H-DNL player to ever play in the Women’s College World Series, and she quickly followed that by becoming the first ever local player to win a game at the WCWS.

Now she’ll get the opportunity to close out a remarkable collegiate career by playing for the biggest prize in college softball.