Houston softball suffers Big 12-opening sweep to No. 2 Texas Tech, defending national runner-ups

17 innings. 24 hours.

With adjustments due to inclement weather, and the putaway prowess of the third-rated team batting average in Division I, that was all it took for defending national runner-up No. 2 Texas Tech to sweep Houston softball in its Big 12-opening series at Cougar Softball Stadium from March 6-7. 

Entering with a staggering plus-214 run differential and also third in runs per game, the Red Raiders outscored Houston 33-7 across the series, with two run-rule wins composing a Friday doubleheader.

Leaving the Cougars’ offensive output nearly disparate to Texas Tech’s was the Red Raiders’ pitching staff, rated fifth in Division I in team earned run average, allowing just eight hits across the series. 

Cougars fall victim to Canady’s second consecutive no-hitter

With the help of a combined seven runs driven in between senior outfielder Mihyia Davis and junior two-way player Kaitlyn Terry, it took facing just 18 batters for reigning Big 12 Pitcher of the Year senior NiJaree Canady to complete her second consecutive no-hitter.

Houston became the second victim of Canady’s feat in its 10-0 run-rule loss to Texas Tech in the first leg of its Friday doubleheader.

The two-time NFCA National Pitcher of the Year struck out six Cougars, allowing a walk and hitting two batters as the only blemishes from perfection in moving to 9-1 on her season, leaving her tied for eighth nationally in wins and second to her teammate Terry in Texas Tech’s rotation.

Named the Big 12’s offensive player of the week on March 2 and holding the third-best batting average in Division I, Terry opened scoring in the contest with a two-run home run deep to left field to make it 2-0.

Terry followed that an inning later by lacing a two-out RBI single into shallow left field, scoring her leadoff partner Davis for the second time in as many frames to make it 3-0. 

After redshirt junior designated player Lauren Allred gave the Red Raiders a 5-0 lead with a one-out RBI single in the third, sophomore pitcher Nevaeh Brown exited for Houston in favor of redshirt senior Paris Lehman.

But Davis’ two-out, two-run homer was the last blemish towards Brown’s afternoon of allowing six earned runs on four hits and a season-high five walks, leaving her with her third loss in five decisions.

Davis also closed the book early on Canady’s no-hitter, setting the run-rule template in the fifth with her second two-run home run of the game to mark her first multi-homer performance of the season.

Terry provides ship and anchor towards second run-rule

Adding to her 3-for-4, 3-RBI performance in the series-opener, Terry provided both the ship and the anchor towards Texas Tech’s 11-1 win in the second leg of the Friday doubleheader.

The ship: A productive 2-for-2, 4-RBI game among four Red Raiders with multi-hit games.

The anchor: Five innings of three-hit, one-run ball and seven strikeouts, helping cement the Red Raiders’ second run-rule win over Houston in under five hours.

That ship set sail as early as the first two batters, when Terry laced an RBI single into center to continue the Red Raiders’ unanswered scoring efforts from the beginning of the doubleheader.

Those efforts remained unanswered for 10 runs across the first four innings, with Terry providing another RBI single towards the Red Raiders’ five-run second, and a sacrifice fly in the third.

But after freshman infielder Ronnie Esparza provided Houston’s first run of the entire series with a fourth-inning sacrifice fly, Terry provided another productive out of her own an inning later to put Texas Tech in line for the run-rule and herself in line for her ninth win of the season. 

Seventh-inning six-spot completes sweep, thwarts Cougars’ late comeback

With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, freshman outfielder Shelby Taylor laced a game-tying two-run double into shallow left field, erasing Houston’s 6-2 deficit entering the inning.

But a triplet of extra-base hits from junior utility player Lagi Quiroga, sophomore infielder Hailey Toney and redshirt junior infielder Taylor Pannell fueled a six-run seventh-inning in response, providing the cushion for Texas Tech’s 12-6 win Saturday to complete the sweep at Cougar Softball Stadium. 

Entering Saturday, the Cougars were still looking for their first lead of the series after being outscored 21-1 over a 10-inning span. 

Sophomore designated player Maddie Hartley provided that lead with a solo home run deep to center off sophomore Samantha Lincoln’s second pitch of the game. 

It became Houston’s only lead for the entire weekend and short-lived, when Davis and Lis responded with RBI groundouts in the second and third innings respectively to give Texas Tech a 2-1 lead entering the fourth. 

Although the Cougars took advantage of an error by junior second baseman Mia Williams that allowed junior infielder Makenna Mitchell to score and tie the game 2-2, Quiroga and Williams answered in the fifth and sixth innings respectively with two-run homers, giving the Red Raiders a 6-2 lead. 

Senior infielder Mandy Esman’s hit by pitch and Hartley’s walk, both with the bases loaded, were the templates for Taylor’s game-tying two-run double in the bottom of the sixth. 

But it only took two pitches in the seventh from junior Gigi Solis for Quiroga to connect on her second homer of the game, a go-ahead solo shot deep to left to give Texas Tech a 7-6 lead.

The game’s deafening cushions, however, were each supplemented by a pair of walks.

After back-to-back one-out walks drawn by junior utility player Desirae Spearman and Allred, Toney drove a 3-2 pitch deep to center for a three-run home run to make it 10-6. 

Davis and Williams each drew five-pitch walks before Pannell laced a two-run double into right center to score both, making it 12-6 and capping off the seventh-inning six-spot.

Although the Cougars threatened with the bases loaded down to their final out, senior pitcher Chloe Riassetto escaped the jam, holding the Red Raiders’ efforts firm.

Up next, the Cougars, at 15-10 overall, will continue their nine-game homestand with a midweek matchup against Lamar on Tuesday, March 10, with a 6 p.m. first pitch.