Texas Tech softball fell 7-6 to No. 10 Texas A&M in the second game of their three-game series Saturday afternoon at the Aggie Softball Complex.
“It is so hard to be down early in a game,” Texas Tech head coach Adrian Gregory said. “To go down as much as we did today and to claw back, to me, is a heart thing. That was a gutty performance and I couldn’t be more proud of this group. That is a very hard thing to do and they came out and did it in front of a packed house.”
As they did on Friday the Aggies got off to a fast start, racking up seven runs on four hits in the first inning. The Red Raiders struggled early as the Aggies loaded the bases early on a hit by pitch and two consecutive walks. The Aggies picked up their first run of the game with a single to right, prompting Gregory to hand the game over to Junior Cheyene Powell in the circle.
A&M’s Breanna Dozier quickly unloaded the bases for the Aggies in the first with a grand slam to right center. The homerun was her third of the season, all coming in grand slam fashion. The Aggies would add on two more scores to hold a 7-0 lead heading to the second inning.
The Red Raiders answered back in the fourth. Jordan Bettiol led off the inning with a walk, marking just the second time in the game Tech had a leadoff base runner. Then Kierra Miles jumped all over the second pitch she saw from Aggie pitcher Samantha Show, blasting her seventh home run of the season to cut the Aggie lead to 7-2.
The Red Raiders would keep the offense rolling as third baseman Ashley Fultz smacked a two-run double to right center, pulling the Red Raiders within three heading to the home half of the fourth.
The Aggies would threaten in the bottom of the fourth, loading the bases with just one away, but Mattison Maisel would enter the game and hold the Aggies scoreless in the inning.
“Maisel did what she has been doing all year today,” Gregory said. “She spins the ball and hits spots. She did that today and you could tell that she got hitters off balance and she gave us a chance. It was great to see her settle back in and really own herself.”
The Red Raiders added two more runs in the fifth, beginning with a leadoff double by Ramsey. Bettiol would move her to third with a single to second before Miles loaded the bases with a single of her own. The first run scored from a Schwirtlich walk, bringing Ramsey home from third. Scott rounded out the scoring in the fifth reaching on a fielder’s choice that scored Bettiol.
Unfortunately the Red Raiders would be unable to mount any more offense, and the Aggies held on for the 7-6 victory.
The loss dropped Tech to 11-29 all-time against Texas A&M. It also moved the Red Raiders’ record to 0-2 in one run games. The Red Raiders are now 1-9 against teams ranked in the top-25 this season.
