The No. 11 Texas Tech baseball team clinched its series with California after a 3-2 walk-off victory in 11 innings in game two of Saturday’s doubleheader at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
The Red Raiders improved to 7-1 this season after freshman catcher Michael Berglund drove in the game-winning RBI off a single to right field. Tech also improved to 4-1 all-time against the Golden Bears (2-4), including 3-0 this season. It was the first game this season to go into extra innings, coming nearly 45 minutes after playing the two shortest games of the year in the previous two games of the series.
Sophomore right-hander Ryan Shetter followed up a career performance in his first start of the year last weekend with another strong outing on Saturday. The Friendswood, Texas, native tossed a career-high 6.2 innings and 10 strikeouts, giving up only one run on four hits. It marked back-to-back weeks Shetter posted career-bests in innings pitched and strikeouts.
His 10 strikeouts made it two consecutive years for a Red Raider pitcher to throw 10 or more in a game, as teammate Steven Gingery tallied 12 against New Mexico State on March 2, 2016.
The Red Raiders drew first blood for the seventh time out of eight games this season, tallying the games first run in the opening frame. Back-to-back walks to junior infielder Michael Davis and senior infielder Hunter Hargrove, followed by a hit-by-pitch to junior designated hitter Zach Rheams loaded the bases for freshman infielder Josh Jung, who sent a sacrifice fly into left field to score Davis from third for the 1-0 lead.
Cal and Tech traded homers in the fourth and fifth frames, as Cal’s Andrew Vaughn put a 1-1 pitch over the left field wall to knot the game at one. Rheams countered in the bottom of the fifth, as he launched the go-ahead dinger onto the track in right field to give Tech a 2-1 lead. It was Rheams’ first homer as a Red Raider and eighth for Tech this season.
The Golden Bears had an opportunity to score in the seventh inning, as a couple of back-to-back hits had Cal with runners on first and second base with only one out. Shetter fired off his 10th strikeout to the next batter and was then replaced by junior righty Parker Mushinski. After issuing a walk proceeded to load the bases, Mushinski induced a groundout to third to neutralize the Cal threat and keep the game in Tech’s favor.
Mushinski would finish his day with three strikeouts, pitching 1.1 innings, his longest outing of the year.
Freshman John McMillon took over on the mound in the ninth inning looking to close out game three of the series. However, a series of unfortunate events featuring a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases again for Cal with one out in the frame. A balk would knot the game up at two, but McMillon rallied to put down the next two batters via strikeout and groundout to send the game into extras.
After two spectacular innings by junior righty Jose Quezada, striking out five of the six batters he faced, Tech kicked off the bottom of the 11th with an infield single by senior outfielder Ryan Long, who was replaced by freshman Grant Little on the base path. Junior outfielder Connor Beck put down a nice sacrifice bunt to advance Little to second, putting a runner in scoring position with one out.
The Golden Bears would deal an intentional walk to junior infielder Orlando Garcia, to close off the open bag at first to set up a potential force out play. It wouldn’t happen as Berglund smacked a 1-0 single into right field to score Little from second for the game winner.
The Red Raiders wrap up the four-game set on Sunday, Feb. 26, with a noon first pitch against the Golden Bears at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
(Courtesy Texas Tech Athletics)
