Jones, Russell Blasts Power Red Raiders Past No. 17/18 South Carolina

Thursday, February 13

Clearwater, FL

11:30 AM

Texas Tech Athletics

6-0

South Carolina

4-1

Texas Tech

South Carolina

Photo by: Travis Pendergrass

Jones, Russell Blasts Power Red Raiders Past No. 17/18 South Carolina

February 13, 2020 | Softball

Box Score

The Red Raiders earned their first ranked win of the season on Thursday

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Fourth-inning heroics from Zoe Jones and Breanna Russell gave the Red Raiders the cutting edge they needed as the Texas Tech softball team (6-0) posted a 5-1, come-from-behind victory over No. 17/18 South Carolina at Eddie C. Moore Complex, Thursday afternoon.

Jones blasted her second home run of the season to even up the game and a two-run shot from Russell helped Tech push past the deadlock.

Erin Edmoundson was phenomenal through seven full innings and limited the 18th-ranked Gamecocks to just two hits. Edmoundson fanned six hitters and allowed just one earned run – her first though 24.1 innings.

HOW IT HAPPENED
After a silent top of the first for the Tech lineup, South Carolina jumped ahead when a leadoff double, hit batter and sacrifice fly to deep left field pushed across a run in the bottom of the inning.

Throughout the top of the second, the Red Raider offense struggled to put a bat on the ball against South Carolina's Kelsey Oh. However, Edmoundson and the Tech defense battled on defense and the southpaw used two strikeouts and a fly out to end the second inning and get the Red Raiders back up to the plate.

Tech's third trip to the dish put more pressure on Oh and would serve as a catalyst for the rest of the game. Taking charge on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, Edmoundson drew a one-out walk to become Tech's first base-runner of the game. Another walk to Yvonne Whaley followed and the Red Raiders were able to move both runners into scoring position on a passed ball. Tech came out of the frame empty-handed, but it was just enough pressure to unravel Oh.

Edmoundson and the Red Raider defense held strong once again in the bottom of the third, bringing up a strong section of the Tech lineup to start the fourth. After falling behind 0-2 in the count, Jones battled Oh throughout her at-bat. On the seventh pitch she saw, Jones blasted a solo shot over the center-field wall and evened up the score, 1-1.

Maddie Westmoreland drew a key walk two batters later, making way for a major wave in the inning. Determined to push Tech over the hump, Russell bowed up and drilled a two-run home run over the right-field wall to give the Red Raiders a 3-1 advantage.

The Tech defense held off the Gamecocks once more in the bottom of the inning and Tech came out swinging again in the top of the fifth. A two-out single from Jones kept the Red Raiders' efforts alive and Karli Hamilton drew a walk to place two runners on base. After Peyton Blythe came in to run for Jones, Oh threw a wild pitch and the pair moved into scoring position.

On two outs, Westmoreland sent a ball sky high for a routine fly out. However, a lack of communication between the South Carolina outfielders allowed the ball to drop in right field and Blythe and Hamilton motored home to increase Tech's lead, 5-1.

Edmoundson surrendered her second (and final) hit of the game in the bottom of the inning, but the Red Raiders buckled down and used three ground balls to escape the inning. After Tech went down in order to start the final inning, Edmoundson's fifth strikeout of the game marked out number one. She piled on one more strikeout and an easy fly out in center field clinched the 5-1, ranked victory for the Red Raiders.

With the win, Edmoundson improves to 4-0 on the season and the Red Raiders move to 6-0.

COMING UP NEXT
The Red Raiders will return to the field tomorrow at 2 p.m. (CT) to face James Madison. Live stats, as well as a stream on ESPN3 will be available for the game. For all the latest information on the Texas Tech softball team, visit TexasTech.com or follow @TexasTechSB on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.