Tech Baseball Takes Game 2 over Texas

LUBBOCK, Texas – Junior center fielder Tanner Rindels went 3-for-4 with three RBIs while Larry Hays picked up his 800^th win as the head coach of the Red Raiders with a 7-5 win over No. 13 Texas on Friday evening in front of 3,546 fans at Dan Law Field.  The win evens this three-game series with the rubber match set for Noon on Saturday.

Texas Tech improves to 11-9 on the season and to 2-3 in the Big 12 while Texas falls to 15-6 and 3-2 in league play.

For the second consecutive night, the Longhorns staked an early lead as they plated single runs in the first and second innings to grab a 2-0 lead.  In the top of the first, Tech starter AJ Ramos walked the leadoff batter, Michael Torres, and he eventually scored on a groundout double play ball hit by Brandon Belt. 

Texas added another run in the top of the fifth inning on yet another Ramos walk as Travis Tucker scored on an RBI groundout by catcher Preston Clark.

Trailing 3-0, the Texas Tech offense went to work in the bottom half of the fifth and was sparked by center fielder Tanner Rindels.  Following a one-out walk by Monk Kreder, Rindels blasted a two-run homer over the right field wall to plate Tech’s first two runs of the game and pull the Red Raiders within one.  Sophomore shortstop Chris Hall evened the score when he delivered a clutch two-out single to right that scored Willie Rueda from second.

Texas regained the lead in the top half of the sixth as a leadoff walk and a double by Kevin Keyes quickly gave the Longhorns runners and second and third with nobody out.  An RBI groundout by David Hernandez gave the Longhorns the lead at 4-3 and a runner at third with just one out.  Tech went to its bullpen for junior left-hander James Leverton who retired the next two batters and capped the scoring at one run.

The Red Raiders took advantage of a couple of wild Longhorn relievers in Chance Ruffin and Stayton Thomas and ended up plating three runs on just one hit but drew four walks and a hit-batter.  Texas walked in the tying run and the go-ahead run scored when Thomas tagged Taylor Ashby in the helmet and the Red Raiders took a 5-4 lead.  Tech plated one more run to take a 6-4 lead on a perfectly placed RBI bunt single by Rindels.

After tacking on an insurance run on a RBI double by Jason Seefeld in the bottom of the seventh, the Red Raiders rode the arm of reliever Zach Stewart who earned his third save of the year.

James Leverton (1-2) picked up the win in relief for Tech as he pitched a scoreless inning of relief while Stewart earned the save after allowing just one unearned run over 2 2/2 innings.  Chance Ruffin was charged with the loss for Texas after giving up two runs on two walks and never retired a batter.

                                                                                                      R     H     E

Texas                        110       011       010                               5      6      0

Texas Tech              000       033       10x                                7      8      0

WP = James Leverton (1-2)

LP = Chance Ruffin (2-1)

SV = Zach Stewart (3)