Texas Tech University Athletics
Tech Defeats Baylor, 8-0
May 10, 2001 | Softball
May 10, 2001
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The Texas Tech Red Raiders got home runs from Eva Harshman and Andrea Joachims and pounded out 10 hits to take an 8-0 victory in five innings over Baylor in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament Thursday morning.
The Red Raiders got on the board in the first without a hit, thanks to a little help from Baylor's starting pitcher. Sandy Butler led off with a four-pitch walk and stole second. Butler went to third on when BU starter Sarah Caudle was called for an illegal pitch. Then Caudle bounced one in the dirt, getting by catcher Ryan Stukel and allowing Butler to score the game's first run.
Andrea Joachims gave Tech a 2-0 advantage with a leadoff homer in the second, deep over the wall in leftcenter field, her fourth home run of the year.
In the third Butler walked and stole second, and Rebecca Eimen beat out an infield single. Shauna Briggs then lined a single to left, plating Butler for a 3-0 Tech lead and chasing Caudle from the contest. Caudle (8-5) took the loss, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
Britney Stolle singled up the middle with one out before Eva Harshman blasted a two-run homer well beyond the wall in leftcenter, her second home run of the year, for a 5-0 Red Raider lead.
The Red Raiders added to the lead in the fifth, as Briggs and Carmen Grindell had back-to-back singles with one out. Joachims grounded out, moving both runners up a base, before Jana Baker ended an 0-for-30 skid with a two-run single to rightcenter.
Amanda Douglas came in as a pinch-runner for Baker, and Stolle followed with a single to left. Harshman then dumped a single into center, plating Douglas to end the game.
Amanda Renfro (30-16) got the win for Tech, allowing just one hit and striking out six. She faced just two batters over the minumum, with Stukel beating out a bunt single in the fourth and Vanessa VandeBurgt drawing a walk in the fifth.
"Amanda did a great job. She came in, and only playing five innkings cut her pitches down," Tech head coach Bobby Reeves said. "She wasn't overthrowing, was spinning well and was hitting her spots.
"Out hitting came trhough big-time. It's something we haven't done well this year. We were ready to play last night and expecting to get after it today. We faced them twice before and knew how they were going to play."
Harshman went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, while Stolle and Briggs added two hits to the 10-hit attack for the Red Raiders.
The Red Raiders will play Oklahoma at 7:30 p.m. tonight in a winner's bracket game, while Baylor advances to a loser's bracket game at 3:30 p.m.
