Texas Tech Closes out Series Sweep of NM State with 9-7 victory

LUBBOCK, Texas – Tracer Lopez went 3-for-4, while Drew Woodcox went 2-for-3 with a home run, as No. 24 Texas Tech Baseball closed out a series sweep of New Mexico State with a 9-7 victory on Wednesday afternoon at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.

In the victory, Texas Tech (13-4) hit five doubles and got a pair of home runs, as both Woodcox and catcher Dylan Maxcey left the yard.

Freshman TJ Pompey went 2-for-4 with an RBI triple, while centerfielder Will Burns went 3-for-5 on the afternoon.

Pompey’s classmate, Parker Hutyra, got the win for the Red Raiders on Wednesday recording four key outs, two via strikeout, while Jacob Rogers and Josh Sanders combined to throw four innings of one-run relief. Sanders, who got a season-high seven outs in the victory, lowered his ERA to 1.54 on the season.

After suffering his first loss of the season on Sunday afternoon, junior Trendan Parish rebounded to record a pair of outs on just six pitches for his second save of the season.

New Mexico State (9-8) struck first for the second straight night off starter Taber Fast using a lead-off double and a one-out single to pull ahead 1-0.

With a pair in scoring position, Fast rebounded, recording a pair of strikeouts swinging to escape the frame.

In the home half of the first inning, Gavin Kash singled to left, and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches with nobody. With the count 2-2, Burns ripped a single up the middle that tied the game at one. In his second straight start in center, Burns went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.

After a double play erased Burns, Woodcox lifted a solo home run to left center that gave Tech a 2-1 lead.

The Red Raiders advantage would stand up until the third when NMSU used a solo home run and an RBI groundout to pull back in front 3-2 with two out.

With a runner on second base, the Red Raiders turned to Hutyra who promptly struck out the first batter he faced on four pitches to end the frame.

Looking to pull even or even take the lead, the Red Raiders used a lead-off home run by Maxcey in the third to pull even at three-all.

After Hutyra got through the fourth inning scoreless, the Red Raiders once again hung a crooked-number in the fourth, when a one-out walk by Landon Stripling and a 114 MPH triple off the bat of Pompey gave Tech a 4-3 lead.

The extra-base hit for Pompey was the first of three straight, as Tech used doubles from Lopez and Maxcey to pull ahead 6-3.

After an intentional walk and a single loaded the bases, Tech added three more runs on a hit-by-pitch from Cade McGee, an RBI-walk from Woodcox and a fielder’s choice by Damian Bravo.

Tech’s 9-3 lead stood intact until the sixth when a pair of two out singles plated NMSUs fourth run of the game. In a 9-4 game and with runners on first and second and two outs, Tech turned to Sanders who needed just two pitches to coax a lazy flyout to right.

In the seventh and eighth, the two teams traded zeros, as the Red Raiders took the 9-4 lead into the top of the ninth.

Tech turned to lefty Ryan Free in the ninth, who allowed a pair of doubles and a two-run home run that allowed NM State to pull to within 9-7 with nobody out.

Looking to nail down the win, Tech turned to Parish, who needed just six pitches to record the final two out of Tech’s 13th victory of the season.

UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders hit the road for the first time in Big 12 play when they travel to Waco for a weekend series. First pitch from Waco is set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.

–TECH–

Release provided by Andrew Stern Texas Tech Athletics