Texas Tech sports roundup: Softball's perfect weekend, baseball drops series, more

Here is a look at all the top stories after a busy weekend of Texas Tech sports.

Texas Tech softball has perfect weekend at home

The Texas Tech softball team remained atop the Big 12 standings this weekend by sweeping a three-game series against Utah in Lubbock. That pushed the Red Raiders to 31-9 overall and 11-1 in the Big 12.

Friday, the Red Raiders took both games of a doubleheader thanks in large part to star pitcher NiJaree Canady. Moving to 12-4 on the season, she picked up the win in both games.

In game one, she tossed 4.0 innings, allowing one run while striking out six and walking only one in a 9-1 win. At the plate, Mihyia Davis had two hits and two RBI to pace the offense.

In game two, Canady tossed a seven-inning complete game, giving up no runs while striking out eight in a 3-0 win. Meanwhile, the offense got RBIs from Davis, Alexa Langeliers, and Victoria Valdez.

Sunday, Tech closed out the series with a 7-4 comeback win that saw the home team score seven unanswered runs after falling behind 4-0 in the top of the first. Alana Johnson was the offensive catalyst with three RBI.

Tech sits ahead of 10-5 second-place Arizona in the conference standings thanks in large part to a nine-game conference winning streak. Up next, the Red Raiders will host Houston this weekend for three games at Rocky Johnson Field.

Texas Tech baseball drops another Big 12 series

Since sweeping its first Big 12 series of the season at Houston, the Texas Tech baseball team has fallen on hard times. That continued this weekend in Lubbock as the Red Raiders dropped two of three games to Cincinnati. It was the third conference season in a row that head coach Tim Tadlock's team has lost.

Friday, the Red Raiders fought valiantly to force extra innings after falling behind 4-0 after three innings. In fact, Tech led 7-5 in the ninth inning before the bullpen faltered, allowing Cincinnati to tie the game. Then, in the 12th, the Bearcats plated the game-winning run in an 8-7 win.

Though the pen struggled late, reliever Jack Cebert was a bright spot for Tech, tossing six innings and striking out eight while giving up no runs. However, it wasn't enough as Tech dropped the opener.

Sunday, the teams split a doubleheader. In game one, Tech was dominated 8-1. Falling behind 7-0 after 4.5 innings, Tech was never able to mount a rally.

In game two, the home team salvaged the final contest of the weekend in a back-and-forth 12-8 win. This time, Tech was the team that jumped ahead early after scoring four runs in the first inning.

However, thanks to a 5-run seventh inning, the Bearcats took an 8-7 lead. Fortunately, Tech answered with five runs in the bottom of the eighth to secure the win. The hero of the day was Logan Hughes, who drove in three runs on two hits, including the game-winning runs in the eighth.

Tech now sits at just 19-9 overall and 5-7 in Big 12 games. Up next, the Red Raiders will take on New Mexico Tuesday in Albuquerque before returning home for a three-game weekend series against Baylor.

Texas Tech women's tennis dominates again

The hottest team on campus this spring might be the women's tennis squad. Ranked No. 15 in the country, Tech took down Cincinnati 4-0 on Sunday to move to 17-2 overall and 10-1 in the Big 12.

Tech's pair of Yekaterina Dmitrichenko and Hailey Murphy took down Morgan Pyrz and Sakurako Watanabe, 6-1, to open the day. Then, the No. 4-ranked tandem of Mariia Hlahola andAvelina Sayfetdinova got past Rozalia Gruszczynska and Gabrielle Guenther by a 6-3 score.

In the singles matches, Tech took three matches to sweep the Bearcats. First, No. 124-ranked Dmitrichenko took down Gruszczynska in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2. Next, Jermine Sherif defeated Watanabe 6-0, 6-4. Finally, Andreea Lila closed things out with a 6-1, 6-1 win against Milica Popovski.

Now, the Red Raiders turn their sights to Fridays matchup with Arizona State in Lubbock. The action will begin at 5 p.m. Central.

Texas Tech baseball alum picks up win in MLB debut

Finally, Sunday was a monumental day for former Texas Tech pitcher Hunter Dobbins. Making his Major League Baseball debut for the Boston Red Sox, he tossed five innings and giving up two hits to pick up the win as his team took down the St. Louis Cardinals 18-7.

Dobbins pitched for the Red Raiders from 2019-20. He appeared in 20 games, picking up four career wins and compiling a 3.11 ERA.

He's been working his way through the minor leagues in the Red Sox's system since 2022, where he appeared in 63 games across all levels. Now, he's broken into the Majors as a reliever and in his debut, he impressed by pitching his team to the win.