Recap: Red Raiders pick up two more wins in Houston Invitational

Saturday, February 12

Houston, TX

12:00 PM

Texas Tech Athletics

2-0

UTSA

0-3

Texas Tech

UTSA

Photo by: Kenny Richmond

Recap: Red Raiders pick up two more wins in Houston Invitational

February 12, 2022 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Game 1 Box Score (PDF)Game 2 Box Score (PDF)

Texas Tech improved to 3-0 on the season with wins over UTSA and Houston.

HOUSTON – Texas Tech sophomore outfielder Carson Armijo recorded a pair of game winning hits to help the Red Raiders pick up wins over UTSA and Houston in the Houston Invitational Saturday.

The Red Raiders (3-0) started off the day with a comeback win against the Roadrunners (0-3), battling back from down three runs to grab a 6-5 victory powered by a two-run home run from Armijo in the seventh. In the nightcap, Kendall Fritz held Houston (2-1) scoreless through six innings and Armijo drove in the winning run in the top of the sixth to keep the Red Raiders perfect on the season.

Texas Tech 6, UTSA 5
The Red Raiders put two in scoring position early with a leadoff walk by Molly Grumbo followed by a single up the middle from Peyton Blythe. Grumbo headed to third on the hit allowing Blythe to advance to second on the throw. Payton Jackson brought in the run with a hard hit to the shortstop, sending Grumbo home for a 1-0 lead.

The Roadrunners tied the game at one on a sac fly, but Olivia Rains struck out the next two batters to escape the inning with minimal damage done.

Tech added another run in the top of the second with an Abbie Orrick single that scored Alanna Barraza.

UTSA took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the second plating two runs on wild pitches. A walk and a single put runners in scoring position when a ball in the dirt allowed one run to come home and moved the trail runner to third. Another wild pitch brought in the runner from third to put the Roadrunners ahead.

Erna Carlin entered in the third inning for her first appearance as a Red Raider. UTSA extended their lead with a passed ball and a wild pitch plating two more runs to make it 5-2.

The Red Raiders got one run back in the fourth as Orrick recorded her second hit of the game, a double off the left field wall that scored Barraza from third.

Tech pulled within a run the next inning courtesy of heads-up base running by Jackson who walked, moved to second on a wild pitch and aggressively continued to third. Armijo hit a hard shot to short the next at bat to bring Jackson home and make it a 5-4 ballgame.

Carlin settled in for the Red Raiders, tossing three straight scoreless innings to keep Tech within one heading into the seventh.

Jackson got things started in the top of the seventh with a single to right field. On the first pitch of the next at bat Armijo drove a ball over the left field wall to put Tech back in front 6-5.

After a single put the leadoff runner on, Carlin forced a deep fly out and back-to-back pop outs to end the game, earning her first career win.

Carlin pitched 5.0 innings in relief allowing just two hits and one earned run while striking out six. Rains started the game and went 2.0 innings giving up three hits and two earned runs while striking out three.

Texas Tech 1, Houston 0
After three hitless innings the Red Raiders recorded the game's first hit when Ellie Bailey singled up the middle in the top of the fourth. However, the Red Raiders were unable to string anything together in the inning, keeping the game scoreless.

The Cougars challenged the Red Raiders on multiple occasions, but tremendous outfield play from Jackson and Blythe kept the sheet clean through five.

Tech finally got on the board in the top of the sixth following a 20-minute power outage delay sparked by a leadoff single from Blythe. Blythe was later brought in by Armijo who single through the left side.

Fritz's no-hit bid was finally broken up in the bottom of the seventh by a leadoff single. A sac bunt and error on the next play put runners on the corners with no outs for the Cougars, but once again Tech's defense bailed them as Arriana Villa caught a line drive and threw back to first for a double play. Fritz iced the game with a strikeout to improve to 2-0 in the circle.

Fritz tossed her second consecutive complete game one-hit shut with four strikeouts and no walks.

NOTABLES

Carson Armijo has recorded the game winning hit in each of the Red Raiders three games so far this season. She is batting .556 with five hits, two home runs, five RBI and a slugging percentage of 1.222.
Kendall Fritz has allowed just two hits total across two starts holding her opponents to a .054 average with nine strikeouts and only one walk and two hit batters.
Abbie Orrick has picked up where she left off in the Big 12 tournament last season, recording hits in each of the last four games dating back to the Red Raiders 5-0 win over No. 10 Texas in the 2021 season finale. Through three games she is hitting .500 with four hits, two doubles, one home run and five RBI for a 1.125 slugging percentage.
Molly Grumbo is a perfect 2-for-2 catching runners stealing so far this season and offensively is 3-for-3 on the base paths as a runner.
Texas Tech recorded six home runs in the first two games of the season, last season it took the Red Raiders 12 games to reach that mark. The six home runs have come from five different hitters.