The No. 14 Texas Tech baseball team suffered its first loss of the season in its final game of the opening weekend, 8-5, at Mississippi State on Sunday night at Dudy Noble Field at Polk DeMent Stadium.

The Red Raiders (3-1) had to wait two hours and 15 minutes past their originally scheduled time, as the earlier contest between the Bulldogs (3-1) and Western Illinois (0-4) needed extra innings to settle.

Tech got out to an early four-run lead in the first inning, but the Bulldogs would storm back to post seven unanswered in the third-through-fifth frames, as freshman Jose Quezada got charged with the loss. Sophomore left-hander Erikson Lanning started the contest, going 2.1 IP and allowing three runs. Quezada pitched 1.2 innings, giving up three runs on three hits, while walking two.

Freshman outfielder Grant Little recorded his third multi-hit game of the season behind a pair of singles. He is now tied for the team lead in the category with fellow freshman infielder Josh Jung, who added a single to give him a hit in every game this season. Senior infielder Hunter Hargrove also improved his hitting streak to four contest thanks to a solo home run, while junior infielder Orlando Garcia has reached base safely in all four games after earning a walk.

For the fourth-straight game, the Red Raiders struck first, exploding for four runs on four hits in the first inning on Sunday afternoon. Little kicked things off by ripping a single up the middle, giving him a hit in three of the four games this season. After a walk to junior infielder Michael Davis, junior outfielder Tanner Gardner moved both over with nice sacrifice bunt that tiptoed the third base line. Hargrove brought in the first run with a grounder to shortstop, scoring Little and advancing Davis to third for the 1-0 lead.

Although he had two RBI already this season, junior designated hitter Zach Rheams entered Sunday still looking for his first hit as a Red Raider. With a 1-2 count, Rheams unloaded a double near the top of the left-center field wall to easily score Davis and go up, 2-0. Tech wasn’t done there, as Jung sliced a single into right field, putting runners on the corners for senior outfielder Ryan Long, who rifled a bases clearing double to left-center to increase Tech’s lead to 4-0.

Mississippi State answered in the bottom of the third, as Hunter Stovall hit a double down the right field line, followed by a single to left by Jake Mangum, who advanced to second on a throwing error. A couple pitches later, Luke Alexander sliced a double just past the reach of Jung to score both and end the night for Lanning.

The Bulldogs would knot the game up at four after a walk to Brent Rooker & a stolen base during a Quezada strikeout was fulfilled by a Tanner Poole single to center to score both runners.

Mississippi State found their first lead of the game after a pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out. A sacrifice fly near the right field line would score Stovall from third to put MSU up, 5-4. Back-to-back hit-by-pitches would send another across home plate in the bottom of the fourth to give the Bulldogs a 6-4 lead. The next inning, Brent Blaylock hit a solo home run to increase the advantage to 7-4.

Tech would get one back in the top of the eighth Hargrove sent the first pitch he saw over the left field fence for his second homer of the year, cutting the deficit to 7-5. However, the Bulldogs would get it back in the bottom of the frame behind a walk with the bases to move the score to its final position at 8-5.

The Red Raiders return to Lubbock for the home opener on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m. when Tech welcomes New Mexico State to Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.

(Courtesy Texas Tech Sports Information Department)