Backed by 3 home runs, Kenzie Brown blanks Texas Tech to lead Arizona State to Big 12 softball title

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OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (AP) — Kenzie Brown threw a two-hit shutout against one of the nation's top offenses, three teammates hit home runs in the third inning, and Arizona State claimed the Big 12 softball championship for the first time with a 4-0 victory over Texas Tech on Saturday.

Tanya Windle, Emily Schepp and Katie Chester went deep for the Sun Devils in the explosive third inning.

Windle's solo shot to right field staked Arizona State to a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, Schepp went deep to left for a two-run home run and Chester followed with a solo shot to left for a 4-0 lead.

Arizona State's four-run third inning marked the first runs scored against Texas Tech in the past five games of the tournament, including the Red Raiders' run to the 2025 championship.

Brown struck out nine, walked three and hit one batter for sixth-seeded and 25th-ranked Arizona State (41-16) against the top-seeded Red Raiders (52-6), ranked No. 4. She improved to 15-6 with an ERA of 2.29.

For Texas Tech, NiJaree Canady allowed Windle's home run then was removed in favor of Kaitlyn Terry, who gave up the home runs by Schepp and Chester.

Canady (22-5) returned to the circle and finished with a pitching line of 6 1/3 innings, five hits and one run allowed with nine strikeouts.

Terry allowed three unearned runs on four hits and recording only two outs.

As both teams anticipate bids to the NCAA Tournament, the Red Raiders and Sun Devils look to add to past success. Arizona State is a two-time national champion with 19 previous appearances in the Women's College World Series and Texas Tech was runner-up in 2025, the Red Raiders' only appearance in the WCWS. __

AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports