Texas Tech Athletics
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Tech Wins Series Finale 6-4
April 16, 2000 | Baseball
April 16, 2000
As they have done all season, the Texas Tech Red Raiders defended their home turf by winning 6-4 on Sunday at Dan Law Field and taking two of three games against the Longhorns. Earlier this season, Tech won two of three games against then-No. 3 USC and swept then-No. 6 Baylor before winning this weekend's series with the second-ranked Longhorns.
The Red Raiders didn't waste any time as they put five runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Chaz Eiguren's triple to left center scored Scott Holzhauer and Marco Cunningham to give Tech the early 2-0 lead. Two batters later, Shaun Larkin scored Eiguren with a single to center. Larkin scored the game's fourth run on a throwing error by Texas second baseman Tommy Nicholson. Mark Austry scored Tech's final run of the inning when Longhorn catcher Sam Anderson dropped the incoming throw on a double by Trey Lunsford.
The Longhorns came back with a run in the second as Chris Houser scored on a ground out by Anderson. Both teams were held scoreless over the next two innings before the Red Raiders added a run in the fifth to make the score 6-1. In the sixth, Chad Landry doubled to left center and scored two batters later when Larkin doubled off the rightfield wall.
Texas closed the gap as they scored two in the sixth and one in the seventh off Texas Tech starter Kevin Tracey. In the sixth, Houser singled to center to score Todd West and Ben Emond. Earlier in the game, West set a new NCAA single-season record with his 24th sacrifice hit. He broke the old record set by Jose Trujillo in 1987 while at Miami.
In the seventh, the Longhorns made the score 6-4 on a single by West that scored Anderson.
Tracey, in his sixth complete game of the year, earned his third straight win after allowing four runs on 11 hits and two strikeouts. After allowing the run in the seventh, Tracey faced just seven batters in the final two frames and ended the game by inducing a 3-6-3 double play by Austry and Holzhauer.
Texas starter Ryan France suffered his third loss of the season after giving up six runs on nine hits, a walk and a career-high eight strikeouts over 6.1 innings. Of those six runs, just two were earned and the 6.1 innings was also a career best.
Up next for the Red Raiders will be Southwest Texas State on Tuesday at Dan Law Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Next weekend, the Red Raiders will be on the road as they travel to Kansas for the three-game series. The Longhorns will play Baylor after the Bears swept Iowa State this weekend and moved to within half a game of first-place Texas.
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