Red Raiders Blast Past Mississippi State to Reach Lubbock Regional Final

The No. 12-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders (47-12) beat Mississippi State (38-18) 10-1 in six innings on Saturday afternoon at Rocky Johnson Field. They need one more win to move on from the Lubbock Regional.

Both teams played very well, but Ni'Jaree Canady stood out. She improved to 27-5 in the circle and hit her second home run in as many games. A clutch popout ended the first inning and got the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year out of a jam. The bases were loaded when the play was made.

With five RBI, Lauren Allred put on a show at bat. Her walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning ended the game early because of the run rule. Alana Johnson hit three home runs and drove in one run, and Mihyia Davis, who shot first, got the attack going with a hit and three runs scored.

In the second, Demi Elder hit a solo home run to make it 3-0. In the third, Alexa Langeliers turned a great double play that stopped the Bulldogs from scoring.

Texas Tech hadn't scored in 33 innings before Mississippi State scored one run in the fourth inning, but it wasn't enough to stop the Red Raiders. Canady hit her 10th home run of the season, a huge two-run shot ending in a trash can beyond the fence.

Allred's home run in the sixth inning came after Davis and Langeliers hit singles. The last hit in a string of eight runs gave the Red Raiders their 47th win.

Texas Tech Athletics has said that a few infield tickets for Sunday's Regional Final will be available online.