Despite Fast Start, No. 17 Tech Drops Rubber Match to No. 24 UT

LUBBOCK, Texas – Despite taking a pair of early three-run leads, No. 17 Texas Tech Baseball fell to No. 24 Texas Sunday afternoon at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.

In the loss, Texas Tech (11-4, 1-2 Big 12) got home runs from Cade McGee, TJ Pompey and Tracer Lopez.

The game got off to a good start for the Red Raiders, as Sunday’s start Jack Washburn needed just five pitches to record a 1-2-3 first inning.

In the home half of the first, Tech used a single from Gage Harrelson and the two-run bomb from McGee to race out to an early 2-0 lead over Texas (9-6, 2-1 Big 12).

The Red Raiders quickly added one more run off UT starter Charlie Hurley when Landon Stripling plated Damian Bravo who doubled with two outs.

Tech’s three-run frame chased Hurley from the ballgame, as the righty lasted just one inning and allowed four hits and three runs.

Porter Brown led off the visitors half of the second with a 109 MPH rocket that clipped off Washburn’s glove. The pitcher quickly fired to first and originally was credited with recording a put-out before the call was overturned on video review.

The second batter of the inning for UT attempted to sacrifice Brown to second, but a dropped-catch error on first baseman Gavin Kash put a pair on with nobody out.

UT took advantage of the error when Max Belyeu plated a pair to cut the Tech lead to 3-2, just

one batter later.

Washburn rebounded following the double using a pair of strikeouts and foul-out to third to exit the frame with the lead intact.

Kash atoned for his misplay in the second when he lifted a solo home run to center that gave his Red Raiders a 4-2 lead heading to the third.

The game remained 4-2 Tech into the fourth when UT gained a bit of momentum when Belyeu homered to left.  The blast cut the Tech lead to 4-3 and proved to be the final batter that Washburn would face, as the righty went 3.1 innings on Sunday allowing three hits and three runs (two earned).

Tech turned to sophomore Jacob Rogers out of the pen, who after a one out single, retired the Horns in the fourth on a pair of grounders.

In the home half of the fourth, Tech scored a pair when Pompey and Lopez homered on the first and second pitches they saw from reliever Tanner Witt. The blasts gave the Red Raiders a 6-3 lead.

A pair of walks sandwiched between a strike placed a pair on base and prompted a pitching change, but UTs Easton Tumis came in and recorded a pair of flyouts to keep the game at 6-3. Tumis went 1.2 innings to earn the victory Sunday for UT.

After UT pulled to within 6-4 on a solo home run in the fifth, Tech turned to reliever Trendan Parish for the sixth.

On a 1-2 count, Parish coaxed a ground ball that Pompey was unable to handle. The play

resulted in a two-base error that set the table for the Longhorns to score three runs to pull ahead 7-6.

In the seventh, the Longhorns pulled ahead by three on a pair of sac flies.

The Red Raiders loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but UT reliever Gage Boehm was able to limit the damage to just a Pompey sac-fly.

Down 9-7, the Red Raiders got a lead-off single in the eighth from catcher Dylan Maxcey, but Maxcey was ultimately thrown out at second trying to stretch the single into a double.

The hit proved to be Tech’s last, as the Red Raiders fell 9-7 to drop the opening series of Big 12 play.

UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders close out a five-game homestand and a stretch of 11-of-12 at Rip Griffin Park this week when New Mexico State pays a visit to Lubbock for a pair of midweek games on Tuesday and Wednesday. First pitch from The Rip is set for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday and 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

–TECH–

Release Provided By Andrew Stern Texas Tech Athletics