Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
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Pair of Nailbiters Highlight Day Two in Las Vegas
February 09, 2008 | Softball
Feb. 9, 2008
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Two hard-fought contests told the story for Texas Tech softball Saturday at the Sportco Spring Kick Off Classic. After dropping a close-fought 3-2 decision to Loyola University (2-1) before battling one of the nation's elite squads, No. 2/3 Arizona State (2-0), to a 2-0 heartbreaker late.
Two of Tech's losses (Washington and Arizona State) at this point have come to a pair of top 15 teams. A third came against a squad that is receiving votes in both national polls.
Senior Robyn Wike went a combined 2-5 with a triple for the day, while Devin Zaragoza was 2-4 against the Ramblers. Whitney Riley had the Red Raiders' lone RBI on the day against LU. Sophomore Ashly Jacobs (0-1) turned in one of the best shows of the day for Tech, befuddling the Sun Devils through five-plus innings before ASU put across a pair of runs late. Despite picking up the loss, the Houston, Texas, product allowed just four hits in a complete-game loss. Tye Coats (0-2) picked the loss against the Ramblers.
Game one was about the pitchers in the early going as both the Red Raiders and LU struggled to put runs across the plate. Tech broke through in the top of the fifth. Leah Legler reached on an air and came across later on another Rambler error. Whitney Riley drove in Zaragoza for the Red Raiders' second run. LU battled back in the bottom of the sixth, tying the action with a pair of runs. After getting to two outs with a runner on third in the last of the seventh, the Ramblers' leadoff hitter dropped one just out of reach to plate the winning run.
Tech came back determined against the Sun Devils as Jacobs battled ASU's All-American Katie Burkhart right to the end before the Sun Devils picked the deciding runs on All-American Kaitlin Cochran's two-run homer to center. Wike and Corkin picked up the Red Raiders' lone hits as Burkhart struck out 12 hitters for the contest.
Opening weekend will conclude tomorrow morning when Tech takes on the Canadian National Team in an 11 a.m. CT start. Live stats can be found on www.texastech.com. The team will head back to Lubbock tomorrow afternoon.
