LUBBOCK, Texas (NEWS RELEASE) – Behind arguably its most complete performance of the season, Texas Tech Baseball downed BYU 10-1 on Saturday afternoon to clinch the series Saturday afternoon at Rip Griffin Park at Dan Law Field.
On the mound, Texas Tech (17-7, 4-5 Big 12) retired the final 16 BYU (11-10, 4-5 Big 12) batters that came to the plate as relievers Jacob Rogers and Parker Hutyra needed just 60 combined pitches to toss five perfect innings. Rogers fired the first three to earn his first victory of the season while Hutyra closed the door with a 21 pitch, two inning performance. The righties struck out three and four batters respectively.
With the pitchers’ providing some much-needed momentum, the Red Raider bats went to work, scoring at least one run in each of the final seven innings to clinch the first Big 12 series win of the season.
Saturday’s victory comes on the heels of one of the more important Texas Tech victories of the season, Friday’s 4-3 walk-off win over the Cougars after BYU used a pinch-hit two-run home run to flip a 3-1 deficit into a 3-all game with two outs in the ninth. In that game, Tech quicky answered with a pair of clutch hits, a double from Dylan Maxcey and a walk-off single from Landon Stripling.
In the crucial series finale, Tech turned to righty Jack Washburn who after allowing an early BYU run in the first, rebounded in the second to retire the side in order.
With the game still 1-0 heading to the bottom of the second, Tech pulled in front for good in the home half of the frame on a Kevin Bazzell two-RBI single. Bazzell, who went 2-for-4 on Saturday with four RBIs, also hit his first home run of the season, a towering two-run shot in the eighth.
Bazzell’s single plated both Drew Woodcox and Austin Green who walked to start the inning and advanced to second and third respectively on a muffed pick-off throw from BYUs Crew Robinson.
Armed with the lead for the first time, Washburn worked around a pair of walks to fire a scoreless third. The righty capped the inning with a seven-pitch strikeout of Kuhio Aloy.
Looking to expand a 2-1 lead, Tech used a single and a walk to place the first two runners on base in the home half of the third. The back-to-back base runners chased BYUs starter, Cutter Clawson from the game after just two-plus innings pitched and 48 pitches.
The Red Raiders ultimately double the lead two batters later on an RBI single from Drew Woodcox that plated Damian Bravo.
In the fourth, Washburn was able to retire the first two Cougars in order, but a walk and a double put the tying runs on base for Chipper Beck. Needing to find the important third and final out, Washburn coaxed a grounder from Beck to fire his third straight scoreless inning.
The grounder proved to be the final pitch that the righty would throw, as Washburn went four innings on Saturday, allowing two hits, one run and five walks. The righty struck out four.
After a one-out single and balk placed Tracer Lopez at second with one out, Bravo scored Lopez with an RBI single to give the Red Raiders a 4-1 lead. The RBI was Bravo’s 30th of the season and came in his 22nd game played. Tech is now 16-1 this season when Bravo drives in at least one run.
Up 4-1 and with Washburn at 89 pitches on the afternoon, Tech went to the bullpen, turning to Rogers, who needed just 11 pitches to fire a perfect 1-2-3 fifth.
The Red Raiders loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom half of the fifth, ultimately settling for one run.
Bolstered with a five-run lead, Rogers again shoved in the sixth. After winning a nine pitch battle with Aloy, Rogers needed just five pitches to get the final two outs of the inning.
Tech quickly went ahead by six runs runs in the sixth, when infielder Cade McGee lifted his fourth home run of the season.
Following another 1-2-3 inning in the seventh that ended with a pair of Rogers punchouts, Tech used an RBI single from Lopez to cap its sixth straight inning scoring at least one run.
Up 7-1, and having retired 10 straight Cougar batters, Tech turned to Hutyra, who struck out a pair of batters in a 1-2-3 eighth.
Tech seized control of the game for good in the eighth, as an RBI ground out from Gavin Kash and the two-run homer from Bazzell set the table to close out the series in the ninth.
Three outs from the series win, Hutyra ended a seven pitch battle and used a ground ball to put two outs on the board. Facing pinch-hitter Crew McChesney, Hutyra needed just four pitches to record his fourth strike out of the day and seal the win.
HC TIM TADLOCK:
“Well, I felt like more than anything Jack [Washburn] went out gave us what we needed with four … Guys played good defense on a tough day to hit, and guys put together good at bats all day. We have a lot of arms down there that didn’t throw this week and we’re going to need to get them all going here. There’s a lot of baseball to be played and the way the guys played the last two days proves that.”
UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders close out a five-game homestand on Tuesday night when Stephen F. Austin pays a visit to Lubbock. First pitch from Rip Griffin Park is set for 6:30 p.m.
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