Texas Tech Athletics
Georgia
Tech softball drops pair in Fiesta Bowl Classic
February 09, 2001 | Softball
Feb. 9, 2001
PHOENIX, Ariz. - - The Texas Tech softball team dropped a pair of games Friday on the opening day of the Fiesta Bowl Classic, including a 1-0 decision to Georgia in the second game of the day.
The Bulldogs (5-1) scored an unearned run in the first on two Tech throwing errors.
The Red Raiders had only an Eva Harshman single in the fourth until Tracy Cartier led off with a single to left in the sixth. Sandy Butler then had a bunt single, and Rebecca Eimen sacrificed the runners to second and third with a bunt.
Harshman walked to load the bases, but Shauna Briggs' sharp grounder went off the pitcher's glove straight to the shortstop, who forced Cartier at home for the second out. Carmen Grindell then flied out to center, ending the inning and Tech's best scoring chance of the game.
Tech mounted another threat in the seventh, with pinch-hitter Jana Baker singling to left with one out. Amanda Douglas put runner Rachelle Biber in scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, but Cartier's deep liner to center was caught, ending the inning and the game, a tough 1-0 defeat for the Red Raiders.
Amanda Renfro (2-2) went the distance for Tech, striking out six and allowing just three hits. Her counterpart for Georgia, Kaili Howard (3-0), gave up four hits and struck out seven, working out of jams in the sixth and seventh to keep her record perfect on the season.
#20 Oregon 8, Texas Tech 0, 5 innings
The Red Raiders took it in the chin in the opening game of the day with an 8-0 defeat to 20th-ranked Oregon in five innings.
The Ducks (5-2) got a run in the first on three hits courtesy of an RBI single by Missy Coe. Tech had a chance to answer in the bottom half of the inning, as leadoff hitter Sandy Butler singled to start the frame, went to second on a wild pitch and third on a passed ball. But the Red Raiders stranded her at third.
Oregon came back with five runs in the second, two earned, on six hits. A costly error in left field kept the inning going and allowed the Ducks to get three runs when the Red Raiders should have been out of the inning.
Molly Ray and Kate Peterson added solo home runs in the fourth and fifth, respectively.
Tech managed just two more hits in the game off Oregon starter Lisa Wangler (2-0), who also had a pair of hits and two runs in the contest.
Butler had two of Tech's three hits in the game, and Tiffany Harrington accounted for the other Red Raider hit. TTU starter Amanda Renfro suffered the loss, allowing all eight runs, five earned, on 12 hits with five strikeouts.
The Red Raiders continue action in the three-day tournament with contests against fourth-ranked Washington and No. 25 Utah on Saturday.
