Fresh off of a weekend sweep against Cal, the No. 10 Texas Tech baseball team secured their sixth-straight victory with a 7-2 win over New Mexico on Tuesday afternoon at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
The Red Raiders (9-1) improved to 6-0 at home to start the season, wrapping up their first home stand of the season before traveling to Houston this weekend. It was the sixth-straight game Tech has held its opponent to two or fewer runs, as Red Raider pitchers posted eight consecutive scoreless innings to end the game.
Freshman righty John Henry Gonzalez got his second start of the year on Tuesday, giving up only two runs on two hits, while striking out two through four innings. The two runs came in the top of the first, as New Mexico’s Carl Stajduhar lifted a two-run homer to left field for the early 2-0 lead. Gonzalez didn’t allow another hit until a ground-rule double in the fourth inning.
Junior left-hander Jacob Patterson received the win after tossing 2.2 innings of shutout pitching, ringing up two batters in the process. It was his second victory of the year, the other coming in a two-inning relief appearance against Cal on Feb. 25. Freshman John McMillon picked up his first save of his young career after hurling 1.2 IP and striking out one.
Another junior, infielder Michael Davis, found his way on base four times, the first was a brief trip around the diamond after sending a solo homer over the left field wall in the bottom of the first to make it a 2-1 game. He would also reach via two hit-by-pitch at-bats and a walk.
Making his second start in right field this season, junior Connor Beck produced his third multi-hit game of the year behind a pair of singles in the second & third innings. Beck also scored and drove in a run.
After pulling with one in the bottom of the first, the Red Raiders tacked on a four-run third inning to take a 5-2 lead. It was the third time in four games Tech has had at least one four-run frame, doing so twice in the finale against Cal on Feb. 26.
The third inning began with back-to-back hit-by-pitches to freshman Grant Little and Davis. It would be part of a five-HBP day for the Red Raiders, the first since March 14, 2012. Senior infielder Hunter Hargrove made good on the situation with a single to left-center field to score Little and advance Davis to third. The hit continued Hargrove’s streak of at least one hit in every contest in 2017.
In the next at-bat, Tanner Gardner sent a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Davis from third; however, the play was called back and ruled a balk by New Mexico’s Luis Gonzalez, scoring Davis and advancing Hargrove to second, while also allowing Gardner to continue his at-bat with no outs. Gardner took advantage of the opportunity by laying down a bunt single to put runners on the corners with nobody out.
Tech’s third run of the frame crossed the plate after freshman infielder Josh Jung provided an RBI groundout to second base, while Beck capped the frame with an RBI single through the left side of the field to score Gardner.
In the eighth inning, Beck and freshman catcher Michael Berglund opened the frame with a walk and single, respectively, to put two on with no out. After a strong sacrifice bunt by junior infielder Orlando Garcia to move the duo over a bag, senior outfielder Ryan Long checked in for Little and laced an opposite-field single to left to tack on two more runs and give Tech a 7-2 lead. It was the fourth-multi RBI performance of the year for Long, tying Garcia and Hargrove for the team lead.
The Red Raiders hit the road for the 17th annual Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Tech will take on three ranked opponents in No. 11 Texas A&M on Friday, March 3, at 3 p.m., followed by No. 8 Ole Miss at Noon on Saturday and No. 2 LSU on Sunday at 10 a.m. All three games will be televised on FOX Sports Net.
(Courtesy Texas Tech Sports Information Department)
