The No. 3 Texas Tech baseball team dropped its first game of the year at No. 5 Kentucky, 10-7, on Friday afternoon at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
The Red Raiders (14-1) scored three runs in the opening frame against the Wildcats (13-2), then recorded four over the final two in an attempt to rally. However, a pair of three-run innings by Kentucky helped the Wildcats take the series opener. It snapped Tech’s 14-game winning streak to begin the year, its best start to a season in program history.
Sophomore infielder Josh Jung produced his eighth multi-hit game of the year, matching the team-lead, after a double & a single on Friday with three RBI and a run scored. The Red Raiders totaled eight hits in the contest, out-hitting the Wildcats by one.
Junior right-handed pitcher Davis Martin started Friday’s game for the Red Raiders, going 4.0 innings against the Wildcats. The San Angelo native gave up three runs on three hits, walking two and striking out a season-high five batters.
The Red Raiders struck first on Friday afternoon, plating three runs in the opening frame to take a 3-0 lead. Holt opened the inning by reaching first on a fielding error by the third baseman. Wilson would take advantage shortly after, shooting a single through the right side of the infield to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Jung roped a double down the right field line, then took third on a throw to the plate, scoring Holt & Wilson to make it 2-0.
With Jung standing on third, Warren kept the ball rolling with an RBI single to right field to drive in Tech’s third run of the inning. It was the 13th game in 15 contests the Red Raiders have scored at least three runs in a single frame.
The Wildcats got two back in the second inning, after Cottam hit a two-run homer to left field to make it 3-2. Becker opened the frame with an infield single, making his way to second on an error & third on a wild pitch. After a grounder & strikeout to put two away, Cottam sent the home run over the left field wall to cut the Tech lead to one. Kentucky would even the score in the next frame after a leadoff double from Squires, plus a balk & a wild pitch made it 3-3.
Kentucky took the lead in the fifth inning after three-straight free passes burned the Red Raiders, as a sacrifice fly from Heyer brought one in for a 4-3 advantage. With two gone and runners in scoring position, Cottam added two more RBI with a two-run double to right field, pushing the Kentucky lead to 6-3. Another run came across for the Wildcats in the sixth after a check-swing, infield single from Becker made it 7-3.
Tech got one back in the top of the eighth thanks to an RBI single from Jung with one away. Holt began the inning with full-count walk, then quickly found his way to third after a stolen base & error on the throw. That made it easy for Jung, who beat out the throw at first on an infield single, scoring Holt to make it 7-4.
Kentucky canceled it out with a two-out double from Pompey in the bottom half of the inning, scoring Aklinski, who walked after two quick outs to push the deficit to 8-4. With the bases loaded, a walk & wild pitch brought two more through to make it 10-4.
Pinch-hitting Zach Rheams & Cody Masters found their way on base after a walk & HBP to begin the ninth. With one out, another pinch-hitter, John McMillon, shot a single to right field to load the bases for Holt, who brought in a run on a ball hit behind second base to make it 10-5. Tech’s fifth pinch-hitter of the frame, Michael Davis, drove in two more runs with a single to right field, bringing the score to 10-7. That would be all in the contest as the Red Raiders brought the tying run to the plate twice in the frame, but couldn’t scratch the final runs across to drop its first game of the year.
The Red Raiders return to action on Saturday afternoon at noon CST for game two of the series at No. 5 Kentucky.
(Courtesy: Texas Tech Sports Communications Department)
