Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
North Carolina
Friday in Hawai'i Not Exactly Paradise
March 15, 2008 | Softball
March 15, 2008
HONOLULU, Hawai'i - Day three of the Hawai'i Spring Fling Tournament did not end the way Texas Tech hoped as the Red Raiders dropped a tough 6-0 decision to a very tough North Carolina team and came up short 4-1 to No. 16-ranked Hawai'i Friday.
Tech right smack into a hot hurler in its first game as Tar Heel ace Lisa Norris limited the Red Raiders' hot-hitting offense of late to just four hits over the course of the game.
Leah Legler turned in a nice outing, going 2-3 for the contest. Elizabeth Eimen picked up a single to extend her hitting streak to five games. Jennifer Corkin also picked up a single along the way, going 1-2. Ashly Jacobs (2-7) picked up the loss in the circle.
Legler opened the action with a single to start the Red Raiders off on the right foot. It would end as naught, however, as she was erased on a double play. UNC came out swinging in the bottom of the first and put up three runs on two hits. After putting Tech down in the second, the Tar Heels picked things back up with two more runs. Norris continued her hot streak and did not allow a Tech runner until Eimen's base hit in the fourth inning. UNC quickly regrouped and kept the Red Raiders quiet from there, while adding two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the 6-0 advantage. Tech was unable to respond to give the Tar Heels the win.
No. 16 Hawai'i was not an especially gracious host to start Tech's second game. The Rainbow Wahine put two runs on the board behind a two-run home run from their clean-up hitter Kate Robinson. Pitching took over for the next three innings as neither offense could manage even a whimper.
Megan Shupp put a bang into the silence in the bottom of the fifth when she took a 1-1 offering long past the left field wall for her first career home run. Corkin followed with a single to give the Red Raiders a promising start to the inning, but UH settled in and held Tech to just the one run.
The Rainbow Wahine responded in the top of the sixth with a two-run, two-out single to take a 4-1 lead. The Red Raiders were unable to mount the offense they needed their last two at bats as Hawai'i took the victory.
Shupp led the way against the Rainbow Wahine going 1-2 with her homer and an RBI. Corkin and Montana Patin each finished 1-3, while Robyn Wike was 1-2. Eimen saw her hitting streak snapped at five games, and Alex Watkins (0-3) was saddled with the loss.
With Tech's tournament pool play now complete, the Red Raiders will begin bracket play Saturday morning with another contest with Maine. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. CT with the winner moving on to face the No. 1 seed in the bracket right after. Action can be followed via a link on the softball page at www.texastech.com.
