The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
17-21, 7-6
Texas Tech
31-10, 12-1
Early lead not enough as Baseball drops series opener to No. 11 Texas Tech
04.22.2016 | Baseball
The Longhorns gave up 13 unanswered runs in game one loss to the Red Raiders.
LUBBOCK, Texas—A seven-run Texas Tech seventh sent the Longhorns to a 13-6 loss on Friday night at Dan Law Field in Lubbock. Texas (17-21, 7-6 Big 12) went ahead 5-0 after three, but the Red Raiders (31-10, 12-1 Big 12) responded with 13 runs to take game one.
The Longhorns plated their first pair of runs in the second inning when, after Joe Baker hit a one-out single to left, Patrick Mathis drove a double to center field to plate the Texas shortstop. Zane Gurwitz followed with a single to center to score Mathis and the Longhorns got out to a 2-0 lead.
Tyler Rand led off the following inning with a walk and Travis Jones followed with his team-best fifth bunt single of the season. Tres Barrera followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0 and after the Longhorns loaded the bases thanks to a Kacy Clemens hit by pitch and a Baker walk, Mathis singled up the middle to plate two and push the lead to 5-0.
Despite the early Longhorn lead, the Red Raiders offense stormed back. In the fourth, Texas Tech used two hits, an RBI groundout and a Texas error to score its first two runs of the ballgame.
The Red Raiders took advantage of another defensive miscue in the fifth when, after two reached on a walk and a single, Jones couldn't handle a hard-hit fly to left allowing both baserunners to score. TTU first baseman Eric Gutierrez followed with an RBI triple to knot the game at 5-5.
The sixth inning saw Texas Tech take its first lead of the ballgame. After a leadoff walk by Eric Dunbar and a single up the middle gave TTU two aboard, Travis Duke entered for his 107th career appearance as a Longhorn. The outing puts him 11 behind former Longhorn Austin Wood for most all-time at UT. Duke allowed an RBI single to give the Red Raiders a 6-5 lead, but struck out the Tech left fielder to end the frame.
From there, the Red Raiders offense was relentless en route to a seven-run seventh that put the game away as the Longhorns managed just one hit over the final five frames.
Big 12 wins leader Ty Culbreth (7-2) takes the hill tomorrow for the Longhorns in game two of the three-game series.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Martin, D. (6-0)
L: Dunbar, Eric (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Barrera, Tres 1 ; Mathis, Patrick 1
RBI: Barrera, Tres 2 ; Mathis, Patrick 3 ; Gurwitz, Zane 1
SH: Clemens, Kody 1
SF: Barrera, Tres 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jones, Travis 1 ; Clemens, Kody 1 ; Clemens, Kacy 1 ; Baker, Joe 1 ; Mathis, Patrick 1 ; Rand, Tyler 1
CS: Gurwitz, Zane 1 ; Rand, Tyler 1
HBP: Jones, Travis 1 ; Clemens, Kacy 1
Batting:
2B: Raley 1 ; Neslony 2
3B: Smith, S. 1 ; Gardner 1 ; Gutierrez 1
RBI: Hargrove 1 ; Gardner 2 ; Neslony 5 ; Gutierrez 1 ; Floyd 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Smith, S. 1 ; Long 1 ; Davis, Z. 1 ; Gardner 2 ; Raley 3 ; Neslony 1 ; Gutierrez 1 ; Davis, M. 1 ; Floyd 2
SB: Raley 1 ; Floyd 1
HBP: Smith, S. 1 ; Gutierrez 1
