The No. 3 Texas Tech baseball team finished the road trip with a 9-5 loss to TCU on Sunday afternoon at Lupton Stadium.

The Red Raiders (33-12, 11-7) dropped its first conference series since the Big 12 opener after scoring five runs on six hits against the Horned Frogs (22-18, 8-9). Two of Tech’s hits came from sophomore Josh Jung, who had an RBI and scored twice.

Sophomore right-handed pitcher John McMillon went just 1.2 innings on Sunday afternoon, allowing four runs on four hits in his shortest start of the season. Tech totaled a season-high 14 walks and struck out 10 batters in the finale in Fort Worth.

The Red Raiders drew first blood in the opening frame, plating four for a 4-0 lead. Freshman Gabe Holt began the inning with a single, quickly moved to second on a wild pitch and then over to third on a single from Jung. With runners on the corners and one away, sophomore Grant Little sent an RBI knock to left field for the first run of the afternoon. Junior Cameron Warren was plunked with the bases loaded to score another, then two more came across on a single to left field from senior Michael Davis.

It marked back-to-back games the Red Raiders have scored four runs in an inning and the 17th time this year to score at least one run in the opening frame.

TCU got one back in the bottom of the first, cutting the Tech lead to 4-1 on an RBI groundout from Rizer with the bases loaded. Jung countered with a solo homer with two away in the second inning, lifting his ninth dinger of the year over the right field fence to push the lead to 5-1.

The Horned Frogs brought in three in the second inning to make it a 5-4 game. A sacrifice fly from Watson with the bases loaded scored one, then a two-out single from Balta plated another & a bases-loaded walk after a pitching change made it 5-4.

In the third, a solo homer to right field from Shepherd tied the game and Watson hit one in the fourth to give the Horned Frogs a 6-5 lead. TCU added another on an error on a fielder’s choice to push the Tech deficit to 7-5. In the seventh, TCU scored two more runs behind a pair of bases-loaded walks, increasing the lead to 9-5.

The Red Raiders return home for a five-game home stand, kicking it off with San Diego on Tuesday, May 1, at 2 p.m. from Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.

COURTESY OF TEXAS TECH ATHLETICS