Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
BYU
Tech Sweeps BYU In Season Opener
January 25, 2002 | Baseball
Jan. 25, 2002
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech started the 2002 college baseball season on a perfect note today as the Red Raiders dropped the BYU Cougars in a doubleheader 8-6 and 6-5 in front of 2,663 fans at Dan Law Field.
Junior outfielder Jon Slack drove in the winning run for Texas Tech (2-0) in the bottom of the ninth with a line drive to left field giving Texas Tech a 6-5 come-from-behind win. BYU jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the second game of the doubleheader with a three run third inning that was capped by a solo home run by Dave Jensen.
Texas Tech came battling back in the bottom of the third scoring two runs off an RBI sacrifice by Slack and a one-run double by senior Austin Cranford. Tech got a run in the bottom of the fourth and then was able to tie the game on a two-run home run by Cranford.
Texas Tech jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first game but allowed the Cougars to tie the game in the top of the fifth. Texas Tech rebounded in the bottom half of the inning as senior Nick Blankenship scored off an RBI single by senior Tyler Carson.
After spotting BYU, three runs in the top of the seventh, Tech sealed the game by scoring three runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 7-6 lead into the eighth. Junior Joel Buchenauer brought in two runs in the inning on hard hit single to center field.
Blankenship added the final run of the game in the bottom of the eight with a solo home run to left center.
"I was really happy with the way we competed today," said Texas Tech head coach Larry Hays. "I thought our guys showed maturity and played to win the game no matter what the score was at the time. BYU has a great team and their pitching staffs looks to be in mid-season form."
Texas Tech and BYU will complete the three-game series on Saturday afternoon at Dan Law Field. Game time is set for noon.
