Tech drops heartbreaker to No. 8 Texas
AUSTIN, Texas (NEWS RELEASE) - Despite enjoying a 2-1 lead with one out in the seventh, Texas Tech dropped a heartbreaker to No. 8 Texas, 3-2, Friday in a tightly contested affair at Red and Charline McCombs Stadium.
The Red Raiders (26-9, 0-1 Big 12) retaliated after No. 8 Texas (28-5-1, 1-0 Big 12) tied the contest in the bottom of the fifth to take a 2-1 lead heading into the seventh. However, four hits for the Longhorns in the bottom of the seventh would allow Texas to walk it off.
Arriana Villa put the Red Raiders on the board first after blasting the first strike she saw over the center-field wall for a solo shot, her seventh long ball of the season.
A pitchers’ duel commenced through the middle three innings as neither side could scratch across a run. Kendall Fritz (7-2) found herself in some danger a one-out walk and back-to-back singles loaded the bases in the second.
Ashton Maloney looked to drop a shallow single over Abbie Orrick’s head for the Longhorns, but Riley Love fired a strike to home plate to keep Texas off the board. Fritz would come up with a clutch strikeout the next batter to end the second.
The Longhorns would even the contest in the bottom of the fifth frame after Leighann Goode knocked a two-out solo home run. However, the Red Raiders wouldn’t stay down long as Peyton Blythe put Tech back up 2-1 with a double in the right-center gap to plate Kailey Wyckoff, who reached on a single.
After a quiet top half of the seventh, back-to-back singles for Texas would force a Red Raider pitching change. Olivia Rains would check into the circle and force a strikeout, but a single and a Mia Scott double would allow the Longhorns to plate the third run necessary for the walk-off.
Reliever Citlaly Gutierrez (9-1) would earn the win after entering in the seventh and working around one hit. Fitz suffered the loss after being responsible for the tying and go-ahead run when Rains stepped in.
Next UpThe Red Raiders will look to even the series in tomorrow’s noon contest with the Longhorns.
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