(Photo: Elijah Longoria/WCSN)
TEMPE — Live music and wine grapes are the heart and soul of Lubbock. Leading the Big 12 with a .394 team average, the slugging No. 5 Texas Tech came into Saturday’s game against Arizona State with that in mind.
What the Red Raiders may not have expected was ASU keeping up with them, as a 6-5 game heading into the fifth inning looked like either team could walk away with the win. With Texas Tech holding the one-run lead in a nailbiter, its game, just like it has all season, aged like fine wine.
After adding an insurance run in the seventh while shutting down the Sun Devils in the final three frames, the Red Raiders’ 7-5 win secured the road series victory, spoiling Senior Day at Club Farrington. The loss dropped ASU to 35-15 and 8-12 in the Big 12 while Texas Tech improved to 46-4 and a Big 12-best 18-2 in conference play.
“Today was really a heartbreaker, to be honest,” head coach Megan Bartlett said. “I thought we started to hunt better pitches and execute the offensive game plan better than last night.”
As the Sun Devils celebrated their seniors before first pitch, their veteran play that has been reliable all season eventually led to their demise. In a tie ballgame, Red Raider junior infielder Mia Williams scorched a ball to redshirt senior Brooklyn Ulrich that went right in between her legs. Ulrich shook her head in disgust, walking back from the meeting in the circle after committing two errors in one inning.
This was all the Red Raiders needed to create tunes from the Texas Tech crowd, with an RBI single by redshirt junior Taylor Pannel propelling a four-run third inning. While Ulrich’s ability to play around the infield has been valuable, she leads the team with nine errors on the season.
Despite the moral-weakening errors, senior outfielder Tanya Windle waved her hands into the air while rounding the bases after hitting a leadoff home run on the first pitch to begin the bottom of the third, letting fans know the Sun Devils weren’t going anywhere.
“That was really cool,” Bartlett said. “I love my lefties, that’s for sure.”
Later in the inning with a runner on base, junior catcher Emily Schepp drove a two-run home run over the right-center field wall, keeping ASU within a run. Schepp has been one of the most valuable players for the Sun Devils this season, hitting .311 with runners in scoring position.
The Red Raiders added two more runs quickly, all from senior Mihyia Davis, who doubled and caught ASU sleeping, scoring from second on a passed ball from junior pitcher Meika Lauppe, who began losing her command on the mound.
“Texas Tech is a very good ballclub that just kept putting pressure on us,” Bartlett said.
With a veteran mindset, Ulrich quickly left her mistakes in the past and blasted a two-run shot, once again answering Texas Tech’s runs. The Sun Devils have consistently shown this kind of resilience throughout their season, as they’ve celebrated a pair of walk-off wins this season against Memphis and Oklahoma State.
“This team has been doing that all season,” Bartlett said. “Our hitters are certainly not afraid to chase leads, take risks, and get into balls late. Sometimes, I don’t think the kids really think twice about it. It’s like they are trying to execute tasks at the plate by picking out pitches and stringing hits together. You just have to keep playing the game, really.”
ASU showed enough life to make Bartlett turn to her senior ace, Kenzie Brown, in the fifth inning. She was dominant in the circle for 2.1 innings, only allowing one earned run, but frustration was building on ASU’s side of the ball.
After a walk, senior catcher Victoria Valdez doubled for the Red Raiders, and a relay from Windle couldn’t stop the Red Raiders from scoring. In an already livid environment, the overturned call after a review at the plate felt like the final punch to the Sun Devils.
Texas Tech’s senior NiJaree Canady threw a complete game for Texas Tech but allowed five runs, the most she’s given up all season. After striking out ASU’s hottest hitter, junior catcher Samantha Swan, who has a .415 average on the season, to end the game, her screaming jump perfectly encapsulated the rollercoaster of emotion throughout the day.
With the Sun Devils getting a feel of one of the best teams in the nation these last two days, they will try to salvage a win on Sunday.
“It’s certainly a game of momentum, but we are going to come back tomorrow and fight like crazy,” Bartlett said.
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