Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
Oklahoma
No. 7 Sooners Steal Twin Bill
April 11, 2008 | Softball
April 11, 2008
NORMAN, Okla. - Texas Tech battled the No. 7-ranked team in the land hard through two games and gusty winds Thursday night, but Oklahoma (35-9, 9-0) managed to steal the double header, 3-2 in 10 innings and 8-3, in the end to put the skids on the Red Raiders' four-game winning streak.
Tech now falls to 13-29 overall and 3-6 in conference play, while marking its 13th and 14th games of the season against Top 25 teams.
Game one proved to be worth the price of admission for those in the park as two of the hottest teams with two of the hottest pitchers in the Big 12, Tech's Ashly Jacobs and OU's D.J. Mathis, went tooth and nail at each other through nine innings to bring the international tie breaker into effect before the Sooners sneaked a hit just out of the reach of a Tech fielder to take the win.
Tech got the action rolling right away in the top of the first as the Red Raiders put across two runs on three hits. Devin Zaragoza singled and eventually hustled in from third on a wild pitch to plate the first run. Montana Patin followed Zaragoza with a single and came in on an RBI double from Megan Shupp to make it 2-0 Tech.
Jacobs showed the form that just won her the Big 12 Player of the Week award, keeping the Sooners quiet through the first three innings. OU sneaked a run across in the fourth on fielder's choice to cut lead to 2-1.
The Sooners' Mathis got on a roll after the first and managed to keep the Red Raiders silent, despite Tech leaving several runners in scoring position. OU managed to put the tying run across in the bottom of the sixth to even the score. Both squads went quietly in the seventh to send the action into extra innings.
Innings eight and nine went much the same as the seventh as neither team budged an inch to force the tie breaker in the tenth. Things looked promising for Tech in the 10th as it put runners at second and third with two outs. Mathis tightened up from there and quickly retired three straight hitters to keep the action deadlocked. The Red Raiders intentionally walked two hitters in a row to force a potentially-favorable situation, but OU's Jessica Legendre blooped one just past Tech's second baseman's glove to score the winning run.
Megan Shupp led the way at the plate, finishing the game 2-4 with an RBI. Whitney Riley added a single in three trips to the plate, while Zaragoza and Leah Legler each finished 1-5. Jacobs (6-10) was saddled with the loss in the circle, despite giving up just two runs in a career-high nine innings pitched.
The second game looked promising for Tech early in the second game as Patin blasted her fourth home run of the season in the top of the first to give the Red Raiders the early 1-0 lead. OU responded with a flourish in the bottom of the inning by putting a three spot on the board via a Susan Ogden home run. The Sooners put another run across in the second to take the 4-1 lead after two.
OU's Jaclyn Smith kept Tech quiet through the third and fourth innings before Riley singled and came across on a Sooner error in the fifth to cut the deficit to 4-2. OU roared back with a pair of runs in both the bottom of the fifth and sixth to eventually take the 8-3 win.
Patin finished 1-3 with her homer and an RBI, while Jennifer Corkin and Jennifer Bowers also went 1-3. Tye Coats (5-12) took the loss in the circle.
Tech will continue conference play on the road as it travels to Columbia, Mo. for a weekend series with Missouri. First pitch Saturday is set for 2 p.m. CT, while Sunday's contest is scheduled to get under way at noon. Fans can follow the action via www.texastech.com.
