Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
Washington
No. 18 Washington Hangs On to Sweep Texas Tech
March 20, 2015 | Softball
Kierra Miles connected on her fifth home run of the season Thursday night in Texas Tech's 8-5 loss at No. 18 Washington. Miles finished 3-for-4 overall, marking her fourth multiple-hit performance in the past five games.
March 19, 2015
The Red Raiders (16-17) scored two runs in the seventh and threatened to add more but Washington (28-5) reliever Kristin Cochran closed the door by forcing Susan Welborn to ground into a bases-loaded fielder's choice to earn her first save of the season.
Welborn was the only Red Raider to face Cochran as she entered with two outs in the seventh after Lea Hopson was plunked by a pitch to score Tech's second run of the inning. Kierra Miles previously drove in Jordan Bettiol on a RBI single earlier in the frame.
Miles finished 3-for-4 with two RBI, marking her fourth multiple-hit performance in the past five games and her sixth over the past eight games as well. She doubled in the first inning and then drilled her fifth home run of the season with a solo shot in the fourth inning.
Washington led by seven runs prior to Miles' home run, the first of two Tech long balls as Kristi Belshe also connected on a two-run blast in the sixth. It was Belshe's first home run of the season.
The Huskies used the long ball to their advantage early as well as Courtney Gano and Kelli Sugoro both went deep in the first inning - Gano off a three-run blast and Sugoro on a solo shot that gave Washington an early 4-0 lead.
Both home runs came off Tech starter Mattison Maisel (1-3), who suffered the loss after allowing all four runs in the opening frame off two hits and a pair of walks before being relieved by Chandler Moore to start the second.
Moore kept Washington off the board again until the third inning when Jennie McNeil drove a two-out, three-run double over the head of Welborn in left field. The Huskies added one more run in the fifth off a Julia DePonte sacrifice fly.
Moore tossed 4.1 innings, giving up four runs, three of which that were earned, off four hits, four walks and three strikeouts before Cara Custer came on in relief to bail Tech out of a jam by recording the final two outs in the sixth.
Washington starter Kirstyn Thomas picked up the win, meanwhile, as she lasted 5.2 innings, surrendering three runs off six hits, three walks and three strikeouts. Hailey Bator allowed two runs off two hits and a pair of walks over a full inning prior to being pulled in favor of Cochran in the seventh.
The Red Raiders out-hit Washington, 8-6, overall as Ashley Fultz went 2-for-4 overall while Belshe finished 2-for-3 in the middle of the Tech lineup. It was the 10th multiple-hit game already this year for Fultz and the fifth for Belshe.
Jordan Bettiol was the only other Red Raider to record a hit as she singled to start Tech's rally in the seventh. Devon Thomey followed with a walk which extended her reached-base streak to 16-straight games, the longest run for a Red Raider this season.
The loss ended non-conference play for the Red Raiders as Tech opens its Big 12 schedule next weekend, hosting No. 6 Oklahoma on March 27-29 at Rocky Johnson Field.
