David Just

Sports Reporter
Sports
david.just@lubbockonline.com

I cover Texas Tech women's basketball and high school softball.

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12 - 12:41am

Raven Richardson had no idea what Blaire Luna’s 1-0 pitch in the fourth inning was Wednesday at Rocky Johnson Field. What she did know, though, was the home run that followed was the turning point in Texas Tech’s 5-2 victory against No. 5 Texas, snapping a nine-game losing streak against the rival Longhorns. “I don’t know the pitch,” Richardson said. “You just see it and you hit it.” Richardson’s three-run blast gave the Red Raiders their first runs of the game and a 3-2 lead. The senior shortstop also drove in an insurance run with an RBI walk the next inning.

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Offensive-minded Lady Mustangs mash rival Monterey 7-3 04/11/12 - 12:50am

The Lady Mustangs beat rival Monterey, 7-3, on Tuesday at Rosenow Field to claim the season series and all but seal the District 2-5A title.

The last week of practice wasn’t typical for Coronado. After being shut out by Monterey two weeks ago, the Lady Mustangs focused their efforts on offense, offense and more offense. Coronado hadn’t been shut out in 98 games, coach J.J. Johnson said, and the team took the defeat personally. The extra effort paid off for the Lady Mustangs, who beat rival Monterey, 7-3, on Tuesday at Rosenow Field to claim the season series and all but seal the District 2-5A title.

Tech tennis can snap another streak against A&M 04/07/12 - 12:39am

The timing of Texas Tech’s win against Baylor couldn’t have been better. The Red Raiders entered Big 12 Conference play needing at least one quality win to guarantee their place in May’s NCAA tournament. The non-conference season had been up and down, with top-30 wins against Michigan and San Diego, and a loss two weeks ago at No. 61 California-Santa Barbara. Head coach Tim Siegel pondered whether that loss was the lowest point of his 20-year tenure at Texas Tech.

Defense getting it done for softball 04/05/12 - 12:25am

Texas Tech’s defense may be the unsung hero of its 13-game winning streak and third straight 30-win season. The Red Raiders are outscoring opponents 111-33 during the last three weeks, making their play in the field something of an afterthought. But it’s hard not to notice Tech’s Big 12-leading fielding percentage of .979, a figure that ranks the Red Raiders fourth nationally, “I think us being 30-7, a lot of that success has been because we made plays late in clutch situations,” coach Shanon Hays said.

Heinrich, Cooper emerge from low-scoring game 04/04/12 - 12:53am

Estacado softball coach Stan Countryman says his squad played its best despite the 1-0 loss to third-ranked Copper.

Estacado coach Stan Countryman was convinced his squad played its best game of the season Tuesday night. But the Lady Matadors’ best wasn’t quite enough in a 1-0 loss against third-ranked Cooper at Pirate Stadium. Even so, Countryman was more than pleased with the way his team hung with the Lady Pirates, who are riding a 25-game district winning streak. “They’re not this invincible force that everybody seems to have built them into,” Countryman said. “There are no moral victories, but this gives us a little momentum.”

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Tech men's tennis grabs huge win in Waco 04/02/12 - 12:09am

Tim Siegel wouldn’t be coaching his 20th season at Texas Tech without a few marquee wins along the way. His career includes Big 12 Conference victories against No. 4 Texas and No. 7 Oklahoma State, but neither of those was more rewarding to Siegel than Saturday’s 6-1 triumph against No. 29 Baylor in Waco. It was the Red Raiders’ first victory against the Bears since 1996.

Perez's eighth-inning homer completes sweep for Tech softball 04/02/12 - 12:07am

A two-run walk-off shot in the bottom of the eighth inning, gave the Red Raiders a 5-3 extra-innings victory and completed a sweep of Iowa State.

Adriana Perez rounded third base with an ear-to-ear grin Sunday at Rocky Johnson Field, then met her smiling teammates at home plate. Texas Tech’s cleanup hitter has gotten used to trotting around the bases during the last week, hitting five home runs in her last six games. But this one, a two-run walk-off shot in the bottom of the eighth inning, gave the Red Raiders a 5-3 extra-innings victory and completed a sweep of Iowa State. “It wasn’t a fat pitch down the middle,” Perez said. “It was just inside, my go-to pitch. Once I swung I knew it was gone. I felt it.”

Lady Mats head in right direction with win vs. Levelland 04/01/12 - 12:32am

Estacado’s 10-3 victory against visiting Levelland on Saturday afternoon was an important one for the Lady Matadors. Not only did the win even Estacado’s District 2-3A record at 2-2, but the Lady Mats kept their composure after a rocky fifth inning. Coach Stan Countryman said there have been times throughout the 2012 season that the Lady Mats haven’t kept their focus long enough to win games. “We’ve had a couple times this year we seem to be our own worst enemy,” Countryman said.

Raiders set new softball scoring record 03/31/12 - 12:34am

The seven runs Iowa State scored against Texas Tech on Friday night were the most the Red Raiders have allowed since March 6 — a span of 13 games. But a mercy-rule victory is never out of the question for Tech, which had made four of its last five opponents cry uncle. The Cyclones were no exception, and Tech’s bats hammered away for a 19-7 run-rule victory at Rocky Johnson Field, the Red Raiders’ 11th consecutive win. “Seven runs win a lot of games, just not this one,” Iowa State coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler said.

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Perez brings hot bat for Tech softball 03/28/12 - 12:51am

Adriana Perez says she understands the mental side of softball just a little bit more each year. Texas Tech’s junior cleanup hitter hit a pair of home runs in the Red Raiders’ 10-2 victory against Midwestern State on Tuesday, and her mind deserved as much credit as her strength. She saw three outside pitches during her first-inning at-bat and grounded out to shortstop. Perez was ready for more of the same when she batted in the third inning and blasted the first pitch from Lindsi Glenn over the right-field wall.