AUSTIN – The Red Raiders (18-7, 2-3) mounted another comeback in the late innings against Texas (18-7, 3-0), tying the game in the ninth inning after trailing by as many as five runs, but a walk-off home run by the Longhorns completed the sweep of Tech for the first time in Austin since 2007.
It was a classic Sunday in college baseball with a dozen pitchers used between both teams. Taber Fast had the start for the Red Raiders but struggled out of the gate giving up back-to-back hits, the latter of which was a home run giving Texas the early lead.
Tech didn’t book a hit until the fifth inning, but managed to capitalize on the free passes offered by Longhorn starter Charlie Hurley to scratch a run across with a sacrifice fly in the fourth. They came up dry in the fifth leaving Tracer Lopez stranded at third base and managed a run in the sixth on Gavin Kash’s second dinger of the weekend and another in the seventh on an RBI double from Nolen Hester, scoring Lopez.
Hit a mile 💣 @Gavinkash6
Second HR of the weekend, team-leading ninth of the year. pic.twitter.com/zdYgFKkfKK
— Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) March 26, 2023
Tech pitching surrendered five home runs to the Longhorns on the day, all solo shots following the two-run jack in the first. Double plays were the bane of Tech’s existence throughout the game as they hit into three to end frames in the first, fifth, and sixth. A review negated a fourth that would have ended the eighth.
In a weekend that saw the Red Raiders go 9-54 (.167) with runners on base, the eighth inning was a departure from the norm of the series. After a leadoff strikeout, Kash, Owen Washburn, and Hester all booked hits with Drew Woodcox and Dylan Maxcey contributing walks en route to a four-run frame. Washburn saw his second consecutive start in right field and contributed that hit and a sacrifice fly in the fourth to plate Tech’s first run.
Woodcox started as the designated hitter and joined Kash (3-4, HR, 3B), Hester (3-4, 2B, RBI), and Lopez (3-4, R) on the list of Red Raiders with a multi-hit day. Additionally, Lopez continued his excellent defensive play at shortstop, a positive theme this weekend in Austin.
He’s been a vacuum at short all weekend 👏@TracerLopez just making it look routine. pic.twitter.com/ZNJvqDmFMT
— Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) March 26, 2023
Nice work to turn ✌️@TracerLopez x @aust1ngreen_ pic.twitter.com/8GER3ETssh
— Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) March 26, 2023
Brendan Lysik (0-1) entered in the eighth to hold the Longhorns scoreless in a 1-2-3 frame, keeping the score at 7-8 in favor of Texas. In the ninth, Kash led off with a triple to left field that saw veteran center fielder Eric Kennedy get turned around and misplay a fly ball to the wall. Woodcox hit Kash’s pinch runner, Jeric Curtis, home in the next at-bat with an RBI single to even the game at 8-8.
A popup and flyout ended the rally for the Red Raiders and Texas needed only one swing to answer and end the affair as Garret Guillemette send a 407ft home run over the Tech bullpen to walk off the second consecutive game of the weekend and secure the sweep. In the past six contests between Texas Tech and Texas, there have been four walk-off victories for the respective home team.
It was only the fifth time that Texas Tech has been swept under Tim Tadlock in a three-game series.
- 2013 at K-State
- 2014 at Kansas
- 2015 at Cal State Fullerton
- 2022 at TCU
- 2023 at Texas
The Red Raiders will be back in action Tuesday in a midweek tilt with the University of New Mexico (14-8) in Albuquerque. The video stream will be available on the Mountain West Network with the radio broadcast available on Double T 97.3 FM in Lubbock and on The Varsity App.
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