Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
Texas
Tech Splits Twinbill with Texas
May 02, 2001 | Softball
May 2, 2001
AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Tech softball team got a big game from junior Carmen Grindell in game one to take an 8-3 victory before dropping a 2-0 decision to Texas in Big 12 action Wednesday afternoon.
Grindell went 3-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored, and Sandy Butler added three hits and an RBI in an 8-3 win in the opening game of the day.
The Longhorns got on the board early after a couple of questionable umpiring calls. Leadoff batter Tiffany Valdehueza fell behind 0-2 in the count and then took two very close pitches on the outside corner. She then grounded to Tech shortstop Rebecca Eimen, who fired to first to get the speedy runner.
Valdehueza was called safe on the play, and Red Raiders head coach Bobby Reeves came out to argue, but to no avail. Valdehueza went to second on a bunt from Autumn Eastes, and scored on a two-out single by Deeanna Williams that went off the glove of diving second baseman Britney Stolle.
But the Red Raiders knotted the game at one in the second, as Stolle singled with one out, stole second and scored on a two-out single to left from Eimen.
Tech added to the lead in the third with a leadoff single to center by Grindell, and consecutive singles from Andrea Joachims and Stolle. Stolle's single went off the glove of a diving Tamara Poppe into leftfield, plating Grindell for a 2-1 Red Raiders advantage.
Stolle reached on an error by UT third baseman Missy Malchi with one out in the fifth, stole second and scored when Sandy Butler beat out an infield single with two outs, giving Tech a 3-1 lead.
Grindell belted a solo home run over the leftfield wall in the sixth, and after a throwing error, Texas starter Charla Moore was removed from the contest. Joachims greeted reliever Danielle Booth very impolitely, blasting a two-run shot to left for a 6-1 Red Raiders advantage.
The Longhorns got a run in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly to right by Trisha Tatro, cutting the Tech lead to 6-2.
Eimen scored on a throwing error in the seventh after singling to left to leadoff. Shauna Briggs drove in a run with a groundout, scoring Butler for an 8-2 Tech advantage. The Longhorns got an unearned run in their half of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Williams.
Moore (13-15) suffered the loss, allowing five runs, three earned, on 11 hits with five strikeouts. Tech starter Amanda Renfro (29-16) got the victory, giving up two runs on seven hits with four strikeouts in six innings of work. Maggie Ayres gave up an unearned run in the seventh for the Red Raiders.
Joachims, Stolle and Eimen all added a pair of hits in the win, with Joachims driving in two runs and Stolle and Eimen driving in a run apiece.
In the second game, the Longhorns again went on top early, scoring twice in the bottom of the first. Valdehueza, Eastes and Poppe all singled to start the game, with Poppe's single to left plating Valdehueza. Marlo Hanks later drove in Poppe with a groundout for a 2-0 Texas lead.
The Red Raiders got singles from Harshman and Butler in the third, but Tracy Cartier struck out to end the threat with a pair of runners stranded.
Neither team got more than one runner on base until the sixth when Butler singled to center with one out and Briggs singled with two outs, putting runners on the corners for Grindell. But the junior from Carrollton could not deliver the big hit, grounding out to first unassisted.
Tech got a runner in the seventh when Joachims was hit by a pitch, but Stolle and Harshman both grounded out to end the contest.
Ayres (3-4) suffered the loss for Tech in her first Big 12 start of the season. She allowed two runs, one earned, one four hits with three strikeouts. Natalie King (11-13) picked up the victory for the Longhorns, giving up just four hits with three strikeouts.
The Red Raiders do not play again until Thursday, May 10, at the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City, Okla., against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.
