The No. 11 Texas Tech baseball team completed their sweep of California with an 11-2 victory over the Golden Bears on Sunday afternoon at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
The Red Raiders (8-1) put up their fourth game this season with 10 or more runs, while tallying 10 or more hits (14) for the fifth time in 2017. Tech held the Golden Bears (2-5) to two or fewer runs in all four games of the weekend series.
It was the first time since 2015 Tech has swept a four-game series, when the Red Raiders defeated Northern Illinois in Lubbock on Feb. 20-21.
Four Red Raiders turned in multi-hit performances, as senior infielder Hunter Hargrove and freshman outfielder Grant Little each posted three hits in Sunday’s finale. It was the fifth multi-hit game for Little and fourth for Hargrove. Juniors Michael Davis and Tanner Gardner also recorded two hits at the plate against the Golden Bears.
It was part of a six RBI and two-run day for Hargrove, who came one hit away from the cycle for the second time in 2017, this time needing a double to do so. The senior launched a grand slam in the fifth inning, followed by an RBI triple & single in the seventh and eighth frames, respectively. It was the second time he’s matched or set a career-high in RBI this season, tallying four against Western Illinois on Feb. 17.
Sophomore left-handed pitcher Erikson Lanning tossed 5.0 innings in his second start of the season, allowing only two runs on five hits, while striking out two. The Woodstock, Georgia, native earned his first win of the year and was the fifth time in his career he’s pitched 5.0 or more innings in an outing.
Cal struck first in the opening frame as the Golden Bears moved Jonah Davis, who reached on a walk, around the base path with a sacrifice bunt and a groundout. Tanner Dodson sent a single up the middle to push across the first run of the afternoon.
Tech answered back in the bottom half of the inning as the Red Raiders mirrored Cal’s opening at-bat with a walk to Little. After Little took second via a wild pitch, Davis rocketed his first career triple to right-center field, easily scoring Little to knot the game at one.
The Red Raiders took the lead in the bottom of the third with the same duo behind the charge. With one out, Little shot a single up the middle of the field and was driven in by a Davis double to left-center field for a 2-1 lead.
The first lead would be short-lived, as a Dodson double and a pair of singles by Andrew Vaughn and Jeffrey Mitchell evened the score at two.
Tech tallied its first of two four-run innings in the fifth, as freshman catcher Michael Berglund began the frame by working an 0-2 count into a walk. Freshman infielder Brian Klein, who made his first start on Sunday, smashed a double to right-center field to put runners in scoring position with no out.
After a Cal call to the bullpen, Tech earned another walk, putting Little on to load the bases for Hargrove. The senior launched the first pitch he saw over the left field fence for the grand slam and the 6-2 Tech lead. It was the third home run of the season for Hargrove and the first grand slam of his career.
The four-inning seventh was kick-started by Little, who put a single through the right side of the infield to lead off the frame. Hargrove followed with a triple off the right-center field wall to put Tech ahead, 7-2. An infield single by junior Tanner Gardner sent Hargrove across for the second run of the frame, as Gardner quickly moved around the bases after a walk to freshman Clay Koelzer, then a combo of a stolen base and a wild pitch to put the duo on second & third. With the infield in, freshman Josh Jung ripped a single through the middle and into center field to complete the four-run frame for the Red Raiders, giving Tech a 10-2 lead.
Tech tacked on another in the bottom of the eighth as a Hargrove single score Davis, who reached earlier in the frame on a fielding error, to put Tech up, 11-2.
The Red Raiders’ three relievers combined to throw 4.0 innings, allowing only two hits and one error, while striking out four. Freshmen Jake McDonald & Caleb Kilian pitched the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, while junior Dylan Dusek checked in for the ninth for his first appearance since 2015, shutting the door to the series sweep.
It’ll be a quick turnaround for the Red Raider as they’ll wrap the six-game home stand with a 2 p.m. first pitch against New Mexico on Tuesday, February 28, at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
