Red Raiders Win Big to Split with #8 Stanford

Red Raiders Win Big to Split with #8 Stanford

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PALO ALTO – The Tuesday matchup with the #8 Stanford Cardinal (22-8) was just what the doctor ordered for the #21 Red Raiders (23-11) who earned their first true road win of the season and split with the top 10 squad.

Red Raiders Suffer Fifth Road Loss at Stanford

While the offensive explosion grabs the eye, it was the effectiveness of the pitching staff that was the story in this one.

Zane Petty earned his third start of the season, he lasted 2 1/3 innings and despite dealing with heavy traffic on the basepaths, allowed only one earned run. From there, the bullpen tossed a combined shutout, hanging six zeros in a row. Ryan Free turned in 1 2/3 innings and a couple of strikeouts taking over for Petty. Brandon Beckel (4-0) and Kyle Robinson combined for 5 innings and pitched 6 strikeouts between them.

Brilliant defensive plays, including a lineout gem to Bazzell certainly helped the cause.

Beckel earned the victory and faced only one over the minimum in his 3 innings of work. He had the help of his defense behind him when a double play ended the fifth inning and Hudson White gunned down a runner at second base to end the sixth.

Robinson took over for the eighth and took it the rest of the way, striking out two and retiring all six batters he faced in order.

Offensively, Texas Tech struck first when Ty Coleman worked a one-out walk to set the table in the first inning and Kevin Bazzell knocked him home with a two-out single. Tracer Lopez, Nolen Hester, and Coleman booked back-to-back-to-back hits to start the third. Gavin Kash added an RBI single later in the frame and the Red Raiders made it a three-run frame, good for a 4-0 lead.

Coleman, who got the start at designated hitter and hit in the two-hole, had a day going 2-for-4 with a single and a double, 2 walks, an RBI, and 3 runs scored.

Ty Coleman rounds third base one his way to score on an error in right field against Stanford Tuesday. Photo by Brandon Brieger, courtesy of Texas Tech Athletics

Hester’s ground-rule double in the third was the first of what would be a three-double day for the transfer senior. His third capped off a four-run seventh that saw Bazzell and White contribute singles and Kash and Austin Green reach via a base on balls. That double represented the 200th hit of Hester’s career which began at Wofford and now continues with the Red Raiders.

Texas Tech didn’t let up in the waning innings as White pounded a two-run homer over the left field wall, scoring Zac Vooletich who’d set the table with a leadoff single. Harrelson provided the final hit, an RBI single that scored Green who reached on a walk.

The Cardinal threw practically every arm in their bullpen at the Red Raiders using eight on the day, and starting outfielder Braden Montgomery, his first start of the season.

The Red Raiders will return home Tuesday night and hit the road again Thursday for a weekend series in Norman against the Oklahoma Sooners (17-16, 3-6), who as of writing, lead the Wichita State Shockers 6-1.

The Friday matchup of the Big 12 series is scheduled for a 6:30 pm first pitch, Saturday at 4:00 pm, and Sunday at 2:00 pm. Television broadcasts will be available on ESPN+ with the radio call on Double T 97.3 FM in Lubbock and on The Varsity App.

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