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The postgame speech was finished by the fourth or fifth inning.
Gerry Glasco knew he couldn't lay into the Texas Tech softball team for laying an egg against Ole Miss in the Lubbock Regional. There was still too much to play for, but the Red Raiders were listless, unable to solve the riddles pitcher Emilee Boyer presented them for six-plus innings.
Instead of doing the talking himself, he called Alanna Johnson over and gave her the directive. After he pours love into the team, the coach said, it was Johnson's job to remind them Glasco has never lost a series at Tracy Sellers Field. That, he hoped, would reset them for an elimination game later in the night.
Then the Red Raiders pulled off the most improbable comeback in the NCAA softball tournament history. Down 8-0 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Texas Tech kept plugging away. A single from Kaitlyn Terry was followed by a two-run home run from Jackie Lis.
It was a nice consolation, but it was hard to imagine this going any further. Ole Miss certainly didn't think so. After all, it only needed one out to finish the game. Anything would do.
By the time that third out finally came, the Red Raider had done the impossible. Lauren Allred's second at-bat of the inning was storybook. Bases loaded, two outs and on the brink, Allred needed just one pitch to send the ball over the leftfield wall for a game-tying grand slam.
"I go back up and hearing the crowd cheering and everything, I felt so calm and at peace in that at-bat," Allred said, "and I just knew I had to get inside the ball and good things would happen."
Ole Miss would retake the lead in the top of the eighth, but momentum was firmly on Texas Tech's side. Jasmyn Burns tied the game with an RBI single, Mia Williams sent a deep fly to get Lis into scoring position and Pannell delivered the dagger, a game-winning sacrifice fly to send the crowd into another frenzy and the Red Raiders into the championship with a 10-9 win.
According to ESPN Stats & Info, teams were 0-640 during the NCAA softball tournament when trailing by eight or more runs. Texas Tech changed that stat in the course of one rally.
"I think that's the most fun I've ever had in a game," Pannell said, "and I think it just showed. Everyone's having a blast and I really appreciate everyone coming out and supporting us because I think it made a difference."
Rallying from deficits is something Texas Tech hasn't been able to do this season. In the team's six losses, four have come with the Red Raiders failing to score a run. It's something that has baffled Glasco, who has made a career on his teams' ability to battle back.
Glasco joked he considered retiring due to Texas Tech's lack of comeback ability this year. Home runs. Speed. Small ball. The Red Raiders could do everything except overcome deficits. When the end seemed near and another shutout loss one out away, Glasco knew he couldn't get into his team as he'd like. That would've been counterproductive.
And as the comeback started and continued, Glasco kept that composure the entire way, showing little emotion until the result was finally in hand.
"I'm just trying to stay calm," Glasco said. "And I'm thinking, if I'm a fan watching this, I probably don't think I care, but I was just trying to stay calm for my team because I knew they needed me to do that. So the way it felt, no way to describe it. It was the greatest."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Inside Texas Tech softball's epic comeback against Ole Miss
Continue reading...
Gerry Glasco knew he couldn't lay into the Texas Tech softball team for laying an egg against Ole Miss in the Lubbock Regional. There was still too much to play for, but the Red Raiders were listless, unable to solve the riddles pitcher Emilee Boyer presented them for six-plus innings.
Instead of doing the talking himself, he called Alanna Johnson over and gave her the directive. After he pours love into the team, the coach said, it was Johnson's job to remind them Glasco has never lost a series at Tracy Sellers Field. That, he hoped, would reset them for an elimination game later in the night.
Then the Red Raiders pulled off the most improbable comeback in the NCAA softball tournament history. Down 8-0 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Texas Tech kept plugging away. A single from Kaitlyn Terry was followed by a two-run home run from Jackie Lis.
It was a nice consolation, but it was hard to imagine this going any further. Ole Miss certainly didn't think so. After all, it only needed one out to finish the game. Anything would do.
By the time that third out finally came, the Red Raider had done the impossible. Lauren Allred's second at-bat of the inning was storybook. Bases loaded, two outs and on the brink, Allred needed just one pitch to send the ball over the leftfield wall for a game-tying grand slam.
"I go back up and hearing the crowd cheering and everything, I felt so calm and at peace in that at-bat," Allred said, "and I just knew I had to get inside the ball and good things would happen."
Ole Miss would retake the lead in the top of the eighth, but momentum was firmly on Texas Tech's side. Jasmyn Burns tied the game with an RBI single, Mia Williams sent a deep fly to get Lis into scoring position and Pannell delivered the dagger, a game-winning sacrifice fly to send the crowd into another frenzy and the Red Raiders into the championship with a 10-9 win.
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According to ESPN Stats & Info, teams were 0-640 during the NCAA softball tournament when trailing by eight or more runs. Texas Tech changed that stat in the course of one rally.
"I think that's the most fun I've ever had in a game," Pannell said, "and I think it just showed. Everyone's having a blast and I really appreciate everyone coming out and supporting us because I think it made a difference."
Rallying from deficits is something Texas Tech hasn't been able to do this season. In the team's six losses, four have come with the Red Raiders failing to score a run. It's something that has baffled Glasco, who has made a career on his teams' ability to battle back.
You must be registered for see images attach
Glasco joked he considered retiring due to Texas Tech's lack of comeback ability this year. Home runs. Speed. Small ball. The Red Raiders could do everything except overcome deficits. When the end seemed near and another shutout loss one out away, Glasco knew he couldn't get into his team as he'd like. That would've been counterproductive.
And as the comeback started and continued, Glasco kept that composure the entire way, showing little emotion until the result was finally in hand.
"I'm just trying to stay calm," Glasco said. "And I'm thinking, if I'm a fan watching this, I probably don't think I care, but I was just trying to stay calm for my team because I knew they needed me to do that. So the way it felt, no way to describe it. It was the greatest."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Inside Texas Tech softball's epic comeback against Ole Miss
Continue reading...
