Texas Tech Athletics
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Tech Drops First Game Of Texas Series
April 14, 2000 | Baseball
April 14, 2000
The opening game of the Texas Tech-Texas series lived up to its billing as the Red Raiders left the bases loaded in the ninth to give the second-ranked Longhorns the 3-1 victory. With the loss, Texas Tech dropped to 22-18 overall and 11-8 in the Big 12 while Texas improved to 33-7 and 15-3.
Texas got on the board early with a run in the top of the first. Jeff Ontiveros' double down the leftfield line scored Ben Emond to give the Longhorns a 1-0 lead. From that point both starting pitchers cruised until the sixth when Texas Tech tied the game.
Eric McLamore started the bottom half of the sixth with a single to leftfield. However, McLamore was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first on a single to left center by Scott Holzhauer. After a Chaz Eiguren walk, Marco Cunningham drove home Holzhauer with a single up the middle.
In the top of the seventh, Texas answered with a run to take the lead for good. Ryan France scored the Longhorns second run of the game on a single to rightfield by Nicholson. The Longhorns added one more run in the eighth on a Chris Houser single that scored Ontiveros. Ontiveros reached base with his second double of the game.
Tech threatened in the bottom of the ninth as they loaded the bases with two outs on two hit batters and a single off Texas closer Charlie Thames. After striking out Eiguren and Cunningham to open the ninth, Thames hit Jason Rainey, allowed a single by Chad Landry and hit Mark Austry. With the bases loaded, he struck out pinch hitter Brennan Burns to seal the win for the Longhorns.
J.J. Newman suffered his third loss of the season for Texas Tech after allowing three runs on six hits, four walks and two strikeouts. He allowed just one run on three hits through six innings before leaving the game with one out in the eighth. Blake McGinley pitch the final 1.2 innings allowing three hits and striking out two.
Thames earned his 13th save and broke the Texas single-season save record with two shutout innings. D.J. Jones posted his ninth win of the year after allowing one run on four hits and two walks. With the win, Texas head coach Augie Garrido moved into a tie for third in wins among all-time coaches with 1,271.
The second game of the three-game set will be tomorrow at Dan Law Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. and Sunday's finale will begin at 1 p.m.
