Arizona opened its series at No. 2-ranked Texas Tech with a historic win on Friday the 13th, but the Red Raiders proved too powerful for the Wildcats on Saturday.
Texas Tech beat Arizona 14-6 and 8-0 on Saturday to get the series win over No. 12 Arizona (21-7, 4-2 Big 12). Those are the Red Raiders’ 18th and 19th run-rule wins of the season.
Arizona opened the series with a 9-0, five-inning win over Texas Tech (27-2, 5-1), snapping the Red Raiders’ 14-game winning streak. It was the Wildcats’ ninth straight run-rule win, setting a new school record.
UA’s previous eight mercy rule wins were over Eastern Illinois, Long Beach State twice, Minnesota, Howard and BYU three times. Arizona’s previous run-rule record came in 2014 against UNLV, UTEP twice, Longwood, Valparaiso, Indiana and Ball State twice.
None of Arizona’s run-rule victims in 2014 were ranked, and neither was Eastern Illinois, Long Beach State twice, Minnesota, Howard or BYU.
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Grace Jenkins rounds the bases vs. Texas Tech, Friday, March 13, 2026.
UA senior utility Grace Jenkins had two homers and seven RBIs in the win on Friday.
After the game, the NCAA Softball account posted on X (Twitter) “HUGE UPSET WIN FOR THE WILDCATS” with an emoji with stars for eyes.
Arizona’s bid for a series win against the Raiders looked bright early on as the Wildcats started game two with a 5-1 lead in the second inning, but Texas Tech outscored UA 21-1 the rest of the day, and the UA had to settle for the record-breaking win in Game 1.
On Friday, senior infielder Tayler Biehl hit an RBI double in the third for the Wildcats. Biehl went 2 for 3, scored 2 runs and hit a couple doubles in the first game.
Then, Jenkins hit a three-run homer and sophomore infielder Anyssa Wild hit a solo homer.
In the fifth, Jenkins hit a grand slam.
Arizona’s double and three home runs came off back-to-back national player of the year and Texas Tech senior NiJaree Canady. The Stanford transfer has won Pitcher of the Week the last two times and going into the series had allowed three hits and one unearned run her last 25⅓ innings.
She gave up four earned runs, six hits and two walks while striking out eight in four innings of work.
Softball America managing editor Brady Vernon tweeted: “Counting all the runs (earned and unearned), the nine runs Arizona scored against Canady on Friday account for about 7.5% of the runs ever scored against her.”
Canady threw her second no-hitter of the season last weekend in Texas Tech’s 10-0 win over Houston, and she led the nation in wins (34) last season.
Going into Friday’s game, Canady was No. 10 in the country in ERA (0.99), fourth in hits allowed per seven innings (2.72) and shutouts (four) and was in the top 20 in strikeouts with 81.
Arizona senior Jalen Adams pitched a four-hit shutout to outduel the Red Raiders’ ace.
However, Texas Tech evened the series with a 14-6, six-inning victory in the first game on Saturday.
Arizona jumped ahead on a two-run homer by senior utility Sydney Stewart in the first. Texas Tech responded with a solo shot by junior utility Kaitlyn Terry.
Then, in the second, UA struck back with a three-run homer by sophomore outfielder Addison Duke. However, the Red Raiders took a 6-5 lead off junior utility Desirae Spearman’s three-run homer, a solo dinger by junior infielder Taylor Pannell and a run scoring on a wild pitch.
The Wildcats responded to that barrage of runs with a solo home run by Stewart and then held Texas Tech scoreless in the bottom of the third.
In the fourth, Texas Tech took command of the game with an RBI single by senior outfielder Mihyia Davis, a two-run homer by Terry, an RBI single from Pannell and a run scored off an error.
Then, in the fifth, Texas Tech tacked on a couple more runs on a single from junior catcher Jasmyn Burns.
Red Raiders junior infielder Lauren Allred hit a walk-off home run the next inning.
Freshman pitcher Rylie Holder got the start for the UA, returning after getting hit in the mask by a BYU batter but only lasted an inning. Adams relieved her, giving up 6 earned runs over 3⅔ innings, falling to 12-4.
Sophomore Samantha Lincoln (5-0) got the win after pitching 2⅓ scoreless innings.
In the second game on Saturday, Texas Tech jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second after Spearman, senior utility Jackie Lis and Davis hit RBI singles. The Red Raiders added two more in the third after Pannell drove in a run, and a runner scored after Stewart threw out a Red Raider attempting to steal second.
Texas Tech then scored three more in the fourth to get to the eight-run mercy rule threshold. Terry hit a three-run homer against her home state’s school.
Holder (7-2) got the start again and suffered the loss, going three innings and giving up three earned runs on six hits and two walks.
For Texas Tech, Canady (10-2) returned to form, throwing a two-hit shutout.
Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrate Saturday, March 14, after coming back from a run-rule loss to Arizona softball on March 13.
Up next for the Wildcats is a series against ASU to start a seven-game home stand where they face the Sun Devils, who were ranked when conference play started, No. 23 Grand Canyon and Baylor, which is receiving votes. The ASU series starts on Friday.
Extra bases
– The Texas Tech series was scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but the third game of the series was rescheduled to Saturday to make a doubleheader due to a wind storm that was forecasted on Sunday.
– Friday’s win over No. 2 Texas Tech is the Wildcats’ best since they beat No. 2 UCLA on May 13, 2021. Arizona had lost three in a row to the second-ranked team (twice to UCLA and once to Alabama).
– Arizona’s all-time record against the Red Raiders now stands at 13-7. The Wildcats won 11 in a row against Texas Tech from 1999 to 2025, but Texas Tech has won five of the seven games since UA joined the Big 12, including the conference’s championship game last year, 4-0.
