The Big 12 Conference leader in doubles picked one heck of a time to add to her total.
Texas Tech infielder Logan Hall belted a two-run, game-tying double — her 15th — in the bottom of the seventh inning, then scored moments later on Mikey Kenney’s walk-off single, and the No. 24 Red Raiders edged No. 25 Baylor, 6-5, on Sunday to earn a critical series win.
Tech (37-13, 10-8 in Big 12) trailed by two runs entering its final at-bat, but when Hall stepped up with two on and two outs, she took a confident hack on the first pitch from Baylor right-hander Courtney Repka and drove it into the left-center field gap, plating a pair to tie the game.
Hall made a key adjustment in the pressure-laced at-bat against Repka, who had been jamming the Red Raiders with inside-corner strikes all afternoon.
“I asked Coach (Shanon Hays) if I could step off the plate, because she had been jamming me in all day,” Hall said. “He said, ‘It’s your call,’ so I stood in my spot, just saw it and hit it.”
Then Kenney joined the heroics, by slapping a 2-0 offering from Repka into left field, giving Hall just enough time to score from second, beating the throw home without a slide while sending the crowd at Rocky Johnson Field into a frenzy.
“I knew Coach would send her home no matter what,” said Kenney, who also hit a solo home run in the fourth, her 13th. “Logan’s really quick, and it’s worth a chance to try and win the game.”
The victory was a critical RPI boost for Tech, which faces only unranked opponents (at Kansas, Oklahoma State) in the final two weeks of the regular season. The Red Raiders finished their homestand against No. 19 Texas A&M and Baylor at 3-3.
“All good teams find out ways to pick up some wins,” Hays said. “We’re starting to be a good team. The past couple of weeks we’ve played some good small ball, won some 3-1 type games, and figured out a way to manufacture runs and win in a lot of ways.”
Tech had some help manufacturing its three runs in the seventh. Raven Richardson led off with an infield single and moved to second on an error by shortstop Jordan Strickland. Holley Gentsch followed with what should have been a pop fly out, but second baseman Kathy Shelton collided with right fielder Kaitlyn Thumann, and the ball fell to the turf.
After Ashley Hamada’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners over, Emily Bledsoe popped out. That set the stage for Hall and Kenney, who delivered Tech’s second walk-off win of the season.
The Red Raiders will begin a three-game road series against Kansas at 5 p.m. Friday.
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NO. 19 TEXAS TECH 6, BAYLOR 5
Baylor 100 020 2 — 5 11 1
Texas Tech 000 120 3 — 6 8 1
Repka and Hosack. Custer and Gentsch. W—Custer (23-8). L—Repka (15-8). 2B—Tech, Hall. HR—Tech, Kenney (13). Records: Baylor 28-16, 5-10; Tech 37-13, 10-8.
