One big offensive inning was all the top-seeded Texas Tech softball team needed Saturday to take down second-seeded Arizona 4-0 in the championship game of the Big 12 tournament at Devon Park.
The Red Raiders put up four runs in the bottom of the second inning and coasted to the victory with another dominant pitching performance from NiJaree Canady, who was named the most outstanding player for the tournament.
Texas Tech won all three games in the Big 12 tournament in shutout fashion, outscoring opponents by a combined score of 26-0, the bulk coming in a record-setting 18-0 win over Arizona State in the semifinals.
It is the first Big 12 tournament championship in Texas Tech history to go with the team’s first regular-season title as a program. The Red Raiders have also tied the program record for wins in a season, improving to 45-12.
NiJaree Canady dominant in first postseason action with Texas Tech softball
This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but NiJaree Canady had a dominant week in Oklahoma City.
Canady started each of Tech’s three games in the Big 12 tournament and pitched the majority of the innings in three shutouts against Baylor, Arizona State and Arizona. She allowed just two hits and one walk in 9-2/3 innings with 18 strikeouts in the first two games and picked up where she left off in the championship game.
Not only did Canady pitch the complete game (two hits, two walks and eight strikeouts), she also had a couple key defensive plays in the victory. The biggest came in the top of the sixth when Arizona got runners on first and second with one out and Devyn Netz, the Big 12 player of the year, up to bat.
Canady got Netz to send a chopper back to the pitcher’s circle. She quickly fired to third for one out and Bailey Lindemuth completed the double play over to Lauren Allred at first just in the nick of time.
Saturday’s win improved Canady’s record to 26-5, moving her into sole possession of second in Texas Tech history for pitching wins in a season.
Hailey Toney busts out of slump
Freshman Hailey Toney has started every game at shortstop this season but hit a bit of a wall batting to end the regular season. She was moved down to ninth in the batting order for the Big 12 tournament and rediscovered her swing.
Toney went 3-for-3 with three RBIs in Friday’s semifinal and had a key two-run double in Tech’s four-run second inning to put the Red Raiders ahead for good.
The Red Raiders had some other shuffling in the lineup throughout the tournament. Raegan Jennings started the final two games at second base to spell Alexa Langeliers, who was dealing with an illness. Langeliers came on in the sixth inning with Tech looking to close out the game.
Red Raiders should enjoy a Lubbock Regional for the first time
Texas Tech should have felt pretty solid about its chances of bringing an NCAA regional to Lubbock before the Big 12 tournament and that should be solidified with winning both the regular-season and conference tournament titles.
The Red Raiders will find out their fate Sunday with the selection show, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. Central on ESPN2.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: NiJaree Canady, Texas Tech softball capture Big 12 tournament championship: What we learned
Reporting by Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
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