Red Raiders fall to Texas State in softball tournament champions - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

Provided by Texas Tech Athletics:

WACO, Texas – Texas State connected on two runs in the top of the seventh to propel the Bobcats to the Texas Shootout crown with a 3-1 victory over Texas Tech Sunday afternoon at Getterman Stadium.

The loss snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Red Raiders (11-5), who had previously defeated the Bobcats (8-7) during the tournament opener.

After an early RBI single by Sandy James in the first, Texas State starter Anne Marie Taylor frustrated the Tech bats, retiring the next 20 hitters in order en route to a one-hit performance.

James singled home Mikey Kenney with one out in the first after Kenney took a leadoff walk. Tech stranded James at second shortly after as Adriana Perez flied to left field and Raven Richardson grounded out on a bunt back to the mound.

Tech starter Cara Custer was equally as effective early on as the right-hander had a no-hitter going until the fourth when Chandler Hall delivered a single to right field.

The Bobcats got to Custer an inning later as Selena Hernandez delivered the first of two RBI in the game with a two-out double just inside the left-field line that easily scored Brooke Keel from second.

Hernandez added her final RBI to break up a 1-1 tie in the seventh as she knocked another two-out hit with a single that brought Keel in from second again, this time just around the tag from an Ashley Hamada throw from the shallow right.

Hall provided some insurance a few moments later as she singled to center field to score Hernandez and give the Bobcats a two-run lead with three outs to play.

Facing a tough wind coming in from left field, the Red Raiders could not keep the ball out of the air in the bottom half of the inning as James, Perez and Richardson all flew out to end the game. Tech had 13 of 21 outs come from balls in the air.

Taylor (6-3) earned the win for the Bobcats as she finished with two strikeouts to go along with a walk in a complete game effort. She held Tech to its fewest runs since the Red Raiders were shut out by Cal Poly Feb. 11 to close the Kajikawa Classic in Arizona.

Brittany Talley (3-2) took the loss for the Red Raiders as she replaced Custer at the start of the sixth. She gave up two runs on two hits while walking two as well. Custer also surrendered two hits with a walk over the first five innings.

The Red Raiders open their home schedule next weekend with the start of the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic. Tech will host UT-Arlington and Binghamton over the three-day event that begins Friday at Rocky Johnson Field.