Tech Sports Roundup: Women's tennis rips Santa Clara; Track athletes break school marks

The 42nd-ranked Texas Tech women’s tennis team dominated on Saturday to take down Santa Clara, 5-0, at the Lady Raider Tennis Shootout at the Lubbock Country Club.

Tech began play with a sweep of doubles play, getting victories from Elizabeth Ullathorne and Rashimi Teltumbde, 8-4, Caroline Starck and Nikki Sanders, 8-2, and Samantha Adams and Kenna Kiglo, 9-7.

In singles play, Ullathorne, Starck and Teltumbde all cruised to straight-set victories while Adams won in a second-set tiebreaker.

Tech resumes action in the tournament at 8 a.m. today.

Softball

TEMPE, Ariz. — Melissa Gearhart struck out five over six innings and allowed just one run on two hits, and Texas Tech dropped its third straight game at the Kajikawa Classic, 7-1, to Stanford.

Tech (1-3) scored its only run of the game on a Mikey Kenney home run in the second, but that came after Stanford (3-1) had scored two in the first off of Red Raider starter Cara Custer.

Tech would add just one more hit after Kenney’s homer, an Ashley Hamada single in the third. Gearhart and reliever Nyree White combined to retire Tech’s final 14 batters in the game.

Tech was set to finish play in the tournament late Saturday night against Cal-Poly.

Track

ALBUQUERQUE — Kelly Closse and Katie Grimes each broke school records as the Tech track team opened Friday with a solid effort at the UNM Don Kirby Collegiate Elite meet.

Grimes bettered her time in the 60-meter with a school-record time of 8:18 in the prelims followed by an 8:20 in the finals.

Closse continues to improve in the weight throw with a school-record toss of 70 feet, 111/4 inches, which is just a quarter-inch off the top distance in the nation.

Tech was also in action this weekend at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark.