Tech baseball completes sweep
By: Scott Lacefield-Texas Tech Communications
Updated: February 17, 2013
LUBBOCK, Texas -
Texas Tech finished off its opening weekend with a 13-0 shutout victory
over Northern Illinois on Sunday afternoon while capping a perfect
4-0 record in the fourth annual Brooks Wallace Memorial Classic at Dan
Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
Texas
Tech set a school record closing out its opening weekend allowing just
two runs during its first four games. The previous record was five runs
allowed by the
1972 Red Raiders.
Freshman
right-handed pitcher Matt Withrow made his career debut against the
Huskies allowing just one hit in six shutout innings with three
strikeouts to earn his
first win as a Red Raider. He was one of four Red Raider pitchers who
combined on the shutout as Andre Wheeler, Jonny Drozd and Jerad
McCrummen each struck out at least one batter during their one
respective relief inning.
Texas
Tech used two big innings to claim its second win over the Huskies on
the weekend. Tech scored five runs on five hits in the third inning,
sparked by a leadoff
home run by shortstop Tim Proudfoot and with a two-run RBI single from
left fielder Todd Ritchie.
The
Red Raiders held a 5-0 lead through four innings before posting seven
runs on four hits in the fifth inning where they sent 11 batters to the
plate.
Junior
designated hitter Elliot Richoux drove in two runs with a single to
center field just a batter before freshman catcher Jarrard Poteete
scored a pair of runs
with a two-run double down the left-field line for his second hit of the
inning to give Tech a 12-0 lead.
Poteete
added another RBI while driving in pinch hitter Jake Barrios - who
reached base with a hit-by-pitch - to give Tech its 13th run of the game
in the seventh
inning.
Poteete
went 3-for-4 with two runs and four RBI to lead Tech while Ritchie went
2-for-3 with three RBI, third baseman A.J. Florence went 2-for-3 and
Elliot Richoux
went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
Brooks
Wallace Memorial Classic All-Tournament Team Most Outstanding Player
Bryant Burleson went 2-for-2 with two runs, a walk and two hit-by-pitch.
Burleson was one
of eight Red Raiders to earn All-Tournament team honors. Burleson led
Tech at the plate batting .500 (6-for-12) with six runs, three RBI, four
walks, one strikeout, .632 on-base percentage, made 14 assists at
second base, turned four double plays and didn't
commit an error.
The
Red Raiders led the way with four wins on the weekend while BYU and
Northern Colorado each went 2-2 and Northern Illinois went 0-4 in
tournament play.
Texas
Tech will now start to prepare for five games in five days next week in
Orlando and Miami while playing three games at the UCF Tournament (Feb.
22-24) before
playing an early midweek series at Florida International, Feb. 25-26.
