Texas Tech softball fell, 16-6, to No. 20 Baylor on Sunday afternoon at Rocky Johnson Field to drop to 23-29 on the season, including a 6-9 mark in Big 12 play.
With Sunday serving as the final home game for the Red Raiders in 2016, Texas Tech honored Jordan Bettiol, Kirsten Schwirtlich and Brooke Scott, the three seniors on the Red Raider roster.
“I think senior day is always difficult,” head Texas Tech softball coach, Adrian Gregory said. “I think those three kids have played with heart every time they have stepped on the field as Red Raiders and it is fun to celebrate them.”
The Bears jumped out to another early lead in Sunday’s contest, bringing in four runs on four hits, including a two-run home run by Shelby Friudenberg, sending the Red Raiders to the plate working in a 4-0 hole.
Bettiol led off the home half of the first with a five pitch walk, before being moved to second with a Karli Hamilton single. Freshman third baseman Jessica Hartwell moved the runners over with a perfectly executed Sacrifice bunt bringing Kierra Miles to the plate with two on and one out in the inning.
Miles blasted the second pitch she saw from BU hurler Heather Stearns over the wall in center for her 17th home run of the season. The homer broke the Texas Tech single season home run mark set by Sandy James in the 2011 season.
“I talk about how hard Miles works over and over,” said Gregory. “She works very hard. She was in the facility this morning just trying to work on her swing and feel more confident with it. The kid just makes adjustments at the plate and it is so fun to see it produce for her.”
The Red Raiders added one more run on solo shot from Schwirtlich to send the game to the second tied at four.
Five more runs in the preceding three innings, including two of the Bears’ five homers on the day, to bring the Red Raiders back to the plate trailing the 20th-ranked Bears 9-4.
The Red Raiders would add two runs in fourth, including a leadoff homer by Susan Welborn, to cut the lead to 9-6, but it would not be enough as a seven run fifth by the Bears would seal BU’s second straight run-rule victory.
Sunday’s loss dropped Tech to 12-40 all-time against the Bears, including a 4-21 mark in Lubbock. The loss also moved the Texas Tech home record to 13-8 in the 2016 season.
Texas Tech will be back in action on Friday as the team will travel to Oklahoma to face the eighth-ranked Sooners in the final Big 12 series of the 2016 season. First pitch for Friday’s game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. followed by a Saturday tilt set to start at 2 p.m. CT. The series will conclude Sunday at noon for the final game for the Red Raiders in the 2016 season.
