BY MATT JOHNSON
AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

Home field has not been very advantageous to the Texas Tech softball team this season. Tech started 0-5 at Rocky Johnson Field this season, and lost the opener of this series to Kansas on Saturday.

Nearly six years to the day since Tech beat Kansas in Lubbock, the Red Raiders did it again on Sunday with a 4-2 victory.

It took first-year coach Amy Suiter six tries, but Tech was able to hang on for only their second conference win.

“It was wonderful, I think that (the loss) yesterday helped to get the kids motivated and figure out that in the Big 12 you can’t sleep,” said Suiter, whose team improved its record to 13-29, 2-7 in the Big 12 Conference.

Junior Ashly Jacobs had a season high eight strikeouts in seven innings, while allowing only six hits and two earned runs.

“It means a lot. It gives us momentum heading into the next game,” Jacobs said, “It’s really important for us, and will really get us going.”

Freshman Stephanie Drewry also had a big day, going 2 for 3 with a double and a triple. She also scored two runs thanks in large part to senior Liz Eimen’s three timely RBI.

“It was huge,” Jacobs said, “That’s the most important thing is you come back out when bad things happen and switch things around as quickly as possible, and that’s what we did.”

Tech had trouble in the early going, squandering a leadoff single in the first, and letting Kansas pitcher Val George off the hot seat after two errors in the second. Kansas (12-21, 2-4) jumped on the board in the top of the second after a leadoff single and a walk and two hits. Jacobs walked only two batters, but both runners accounted for Kansas’ two runs.

Tech seemed to get it going offensively in the third, however, as Drewry tripled to get the inning going and later scored to even the score on an Eimen grounder.

Kansas got back on top in the fourth, when senior Stevie Crisosto drew a walk and stole second before scoring on junior Sarah Ramirez’s double.

Kansas went to their bullpen in the fifth, bringing in junior Sarah Vertelka in the fifth and Tech took advantage.

Drewry pounded a double off of Vertelka and came around to score on Eimen’s second RBI, a run-scoring single. Eimen scored on the next pitch after senior Alex Watkins doubled to put Tech ahead for good, 3-2.

“I think the biggest thing was going to the plate looking for the pitch you wanted to hit instead of just guessing up there,” Suiter said. “They waited for the pitch they wanted, and they executed.”

Tech added an insurance run in the sixth off another RBI single from Eimen.

“An extra run is great,” Eimen said. “I think it took a little pressure off of our defense. I knew we needed to get that first out and had to battle back against the top of their lineup and we did it.”

Tech will pick up again this week with another home game when Tech hosts North Texas, Wednesday at 3 p.m.

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TEXAS TECH 4, KANSAS 2
Kansas 010 100 0 — 2 6 3
Texas Tech 001 021 x — 4 9 1
George, Vertelka (5) and Pottorf. Jacobs and Gentsch. W — Jacobs (8-15). L — Vertelka. 2B — Kansas, Ramirez; Tech, Drewry,Watkins. 3B — Tech, Drewry. Records — Tech (13-29, 2-7) Kansas (12-21, 2-4).