No. 8 seed UCLA and No. 11 seed Texas Tech were engaged in a high-stakes elimination game in the Women’s College World Series when the teams got an unexpected reprieve.
As Texas Tech pitcher Kaitlyn Terry face her first batter of the inning, the sprinkler system at Devon Park in Oklahoma City turned on in the right field, forcing a brief pause to the action. In a moment of levity, the person operating the music in the stadium started playing Rihanna’s “Umbrella” as the grounds crew turned the water off.
Sprinkler delay in OKC 😂 pic.twitter.com/y5D356dLmC
— ESPN (@espn) June 1, 2026
The delay was short-lived, with play resuming just minutes later (as Terry was allowed to get some more warm-up pitches in). In fairness, the game went to extra innings only after Jordan Woolery launched a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh to extend the game into extra innings.
This isn’t the first time there have been some unforeseen difficulties at Devon Park, either. Partway through Texas and Texas Tech’s winners’ bracket game on May 30, the ABC broadcast went out and only returned after some time with “limited coverage.”
Who knows what next hijinks might ensue as the WCWS aims to crown a national champion.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sprinklers interrupt UCLA vs Texas Tech WCWS elimination game