The No. 6 Texas Tech baseball team put up eight runs on nine hits to secure an 8-4 victory over UTSA to close out the series win on Sunday afternoon at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
The Red Raiders improved to 14-3 on the season, rebounding from Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Roadrunners (8-7). Tech has won or split every series so far this season.
Sophomore right-hander Ryan Shetter improved to 2-0 in 2017 after tossing 5.2 innings for his fourth-straight quality start. The Friendswood native allowed three runs on seven hits, all coming in the first two frames, while striking out eight without issuing a walk. It’s the third time this season Shetter has stuck out six or more batters in an outing.
Eight different Tech batters found their way into the hit column and proved to be patient at the plate, charting 10 walks, as four earned the free base twice. Freshman designated hitter Grant Little took over the team lead for multi-hit games with seven after going 2-for-3 against the Roadrunners on Sunday, while driving in a run and scoring another. He was also one of the four to be issued more than one walk.
The Roadrunners struck first in the opening frame after a single from Kevin Markham and a double by Jesse Baker made it easy for Trent Bowles to drive in Markham with a sacrifice fly to center field.
Tech answered back with a couple runs of their own in their half of the first. After a leadoff walk to Little, senior infielder Hunter Hargrove smoked a base hit up the middle to get back on track after a hitless outing on Saturday, putting runners on first and second with one out. A high chopper from Tanner Gardner advanced the runners to put two away, but three-straight walks to Josh Jung, Ryan Long and Orlando Garcia spelled disaster for UTSA, plating two giveaway runs to give Tech a 2-1 lead.
It would be a short-lived lead for the Red Raiders, as the Roadrunners began the second inning with a single through the right side of the infield from Mason George and a two-run home run from CJ Pickering to make it 3-2, UTSA.
Both teams would go scoreless in each of their next turns at the plate, but the Red Raiders got back at it again in the bottom of the third with four runs and a 6-3 lead. Junior outfielder Tanner Gardner started off the inning with a double to left center, extending his hit streak to nine games, and quickly advanced to third thanks to a balk from UTSA’s left-hander starter Steven Dressler.
Another set of walks to Jung and Long loaded the bases for junior infielder Orlando Garcia, who had to wait for a Roadrunner pitching change before inflicting two runs of damage with a double to left field. A grounder from sophomore outfielder Cody Farhat to second scored Long, while Little picked up his first of two hits by poking a check-swing single to second base to plate Garcia to complete the four-run frame.
It’s the 17th time Tech has scored three or more runs in an inning this season and 11th time to plate four or more.
Shetter settled in nicely after giving up 3 runs in the first two frames, retiring 12-straight UTSA batters between the second and fifth innings before being replaced by junior right-hander Jose Quezada in the sixth with two runners on, who closed out the sixth and posted a scoreless seventh inning.
Tech put two more on the board in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a two-out single by freshman catcher Clay Koelzer to right field, driving in Jung and Long, both put up singles with two outs in the frame before Koelzer’s at-bat.
A solo homer from Baker in the top of the eighth would be the last run for the Roadrunners and put an end to Quezada’s day, giving way to freshman righty Caleb Kilian, who finished out the game by striking out four of his five outs to clinch the series.
The Red Raiders will be back in action on Tuesday, March 14, squaring off with UT-Arlington (8-8) at 7 p.m. at Globe Life Park.
