Powered by six runs in the fifth inning, Texas Tech softball topped Iowa State 13-5 Sunday afternoon at Rocky Johnson Field to clinch the Red Raiders second Big 12 series victory of the 2016 season.
“You could tell yesterday and today that we played a lot more loose,” head Texas Tech softball coach Adrian Gregory. “Our kids play with a lot of heart. We have talked a lot about controlling what we can control and not worrying about those things that are out of our control. They had a great first inning, but we went back to work. I thought we ran the bases really well today. I feel like we loosened up and controlled what we could control.”
The Cyclones (18-24, 1-8) jumped out to an early lead with three runs on three hits in the top of the first. Texas Tech, however, answered back and tied the game at three, with four hits of their own in the bottom of the frame.  
The Red Raiders took the lead for the first time in the bottom of the second with a Kiani Ramsey double to left center that scored Bettiol from second sending the Cyclones to the plate trailing Tech 4-3 in the top of the third.
Iowa State came roaring back to take the lead in the third, plating two runs on two hits and an error to take a 5-4 lead into the home half of the frame.
A three-run homer from Susan Welborn erased the Cyclone lead for good, and sent the game to the fourth with Tech holding a 7-5 lead.
Following a scoreless fourth, the Red Raider bats exploded for six runs on four hits to close out the 13-5 run-rule victory over the Cyclones.
“We have been trying to work this type of a game for a few weeks now,” Gregory added. “We haven’t been able to come through because we have been pressing on every level. Today I thought we were thinking less and trusting more which allowed us to do, what I think, has given us a chance to win all year. It was fun to see them loosen up and settle back in and run what we think is our best strategy.”
With the win, the Red Raiders improved to 30-17 all-time against Iowa State, including a 16-7 mark in Lubbock. The win also marked the sixth-straight series victory over the Cyclones for the Red Raiders, dating back to the 2011 season.
The 13 runs scored by Texas Tech in Sunday’s win was the third highest run total by the Red Raiders against ISU and was the highest scoring game for Texas Tech against the Cyclones in a single game since scoring 15 runs on April 25, 2014.
The Red Raiders will be back in action on Wednesday afternoon as the Red Raiders will travel to Denton to take on North Texas in a midweek double-header. First pitch for Wednesday’s game one is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT, with game two tentatively scheduled for 3 p.m.