Recap: Tech opens Red Raider Classic with two wins

Saturday, March 19

Lubbock, TX

1:30 PM

Texas Tech Athletics

14-12

Incarnate Word

7-17

Incarnate Word

Texas Tech

Recap: Tech opens Red Raider Classic with two wins

March 19, 2022 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Incarnate Word Box Northern Colorado Box

The Red Raiders have won seven straight and nine of their last 10 games.

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech (15-12) swept the opening day of the Red Raider Classic, picking up wins over Incarnate Word (7-17) and Northern Colorado (8-17) Saturday at Rocky Johnson Field.

The Red Raiders won their seventh straight game and move to 9-2 at Rocky Johnson Field this season.

Texas Tech 7, Incarnate Word 4
The first run of the game came off the bat of Bella Sanchez who hit a solo home run to left field to get UIW on the board in the top of the second. A single and two walks loaded the bases with one out as Teanna Lucio put down an infield base hit to score the runner from third making it 2-0 Cardinals.

The Red Raider defense had a difficult third inning, letting a run score on a couple of defensive miscues to make it a three-run deficit.

Tech knotted the game up in the bottom of the third, putting up a three spot in the inning. Peyton Blythe started things off with a bunt single for the first Red Raider hit of the game and scored from first on an Arriana Villa double into the left center gap, just over the glove of the diving center fielder. Payton Jackson tied the game at three sending an 0-1 pitch deep to left center for her second home run of the season.

The Cardinals regained the lead in the top of the fourth after a triple and a sac fly brought in another run to make it 4-3, but Tech answered with a three-run inning to take its first lead of the game 6-4. Abbie Orrick doubled to lead off the inning and Blythe walked to put two on for Villa who hit a line drive home run over the left field wall to clear the bases.

Tech tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth as Ellie Bailey led off the inning with a double. Page Mindedahl, running for Bailey, was brought in on a base knock from Orrick to make it 7-4.

The Red Raiders were able to hold the Cardinals scoreless for the remaining two innings to walk away with the win.

Maddie Kuehl (2-1) got the win in the circle pitching 2.2 innings in relief of Erna Carlin who got the nod to start. Kuehl allowed one run on two hits and tied a career-high of five strikeouts. Morgan Hornback earned the save, pitching the final two innings of the contest giving up no runs on two hits with three strikeouts.

Texas Tech 3, Northern Colorado 0
Tech took a 1-0 lead after two innings on an RBI groundout from Riley Love that scored Riley Ehlen. Ehlen led off the inning with a single and stole second. A sac bunt from Kennedy Crites moved Ehlen and Orrick to second and third for Love who grounded out to second, scoring Ehlen.

The Red Raiders doubled the lead in the third inning scoring Jackson on a sac fly from Bailey. Jackson doubled off the left field wall and move to third on a single from Carson Armijo to set up the sac fly situation for Bailey who flew out to center field making it 2-0 Tech.

The Texas Tech defense worked out of a jam in the fourth as UNC put two runners on board with no outs to start the inning. A strikeout, flyout and ground out would get the Red Raiders out of the frame unscathed.
Orrick led off the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run to left center, her fourth home run of the season, to give the Red Raiders a 3-0 lead.

Fritz (10-4) would work another scoreless frame to secure her fifth shutout win of the season, pitching all seven innings with five strikeouts, three hits allowed and two walks.

NOTABLES

Kendall Fritz walked more than one batter for the first time in 11 outings. Her last multi-walk game came against No. 21 LSU on Feb. 20 when she walked three batters. She has now held opponents scoreless for 20 straight innings at Rocky Johnson Field, shutting out her opponent in three of her last four starts.
On her 21^st birthday, Payton Jackson recorded her second home run of the season, a two-run shot that tied the game against Incarnate Word. Jackson went 2-for-3 at the plate against Northern Colorado with a double and a single.
Arriana Villa recorded her team-leading fourth home run, a go-ahead three run blast in the fourth inning against UIW. Abbie Orrick then matched her for the team high when she homered against Northern Colorado.
The Red Raiders have won seven straight games, tying their longest streak from last season. In that seven-game stretch Tech is outscoring its opponents 41-12, hitting above .300 as a team with eight home runs. Three of the seven wins have been shutouts as the Red Raider pitchers have posted a 1.71 ERA, holding opponents to a .200 average.

UP NEXT
The Red Raiders conclude the nonconference slate with the final day of the Red Raider Classic Sunday. Tech will face Northern Colorado at 12:30 p.m. and Incarnate Word at 3:00 p.m. to wrap up the tournament.