Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
Nebraska
No. 13 Nebraska Edges No. 17 Texas Tech 12-8
May 23, 2002 | Baseball
May 23, 2002
ARLINGTON, Texas - No. 13 Nebraska scored runs in all eight innings and held off a late Red Raider rally to pick up a 12-8 win over No. 17 Texas Tech in Big 12 Tournament action on Thursday evening in front of 10,092 fans at the Ballpark In Arlington.
Texas Tech (41-17) had its 16-game win streak snapped as the Huskers improved their own win streak to 10 games and move to 41-17 on the year. Texas Tech now moves to the loser's bracket where they will face the Kansas State Wildcats for the second time in the tournament in an elimination game at 4 p.m. on Friday afternoon.
Nebraska took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Jed Morris that plated Jeff Leise from third. Leise led off the inning with a double down the left field line and moved to third on a groundout by Daniel Bruce. The Huskers took a two-run lead in the bottom of the second on a sacrifice fly from John Grose that plated Jeff Blevins.
Senior catcher Willie Durazo put Texas Tech on the board in the top of the third when he laced an RBI single over the glove of Nebraska shortstop Joe Simokaitis that scored Gera Alvarez from second. Alvarez kept Tech alive in the inning when he picked up a two-out single and advanced to second on a throwing error by Simokaitis.
Nebraska's Matt Hopper gave the Huskers a 3-1 lead when he punched an RBI triple that bounced off the right field wall scoring Jed Morris from first base. Morris kept Nebraska alive in the inning when he dumped a two-out single into shallow left-center field. The Huskers took a 5-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth on RBI singles by Will Bolt and Jeff Leise.
Trailing 9-1 in the top of the seventh, Gera Alvarez delivered a two-out double to right-center field plating two runs and Willie Durazo pulled Tech to within five as he sent an RBI single to right field scoring Gera Alvarez from second.
The Red Raiders plated four runs in the top of the eighth inning on five hits to pull within three but Nebraska sealed the win by scoring one in the bottom of the inning and retired the side in the top of the ninth.
Shane Komine picked up the win for Nebraska and improves to 7-0 on the season while Nathan Fouts suffered the loss for Texas Tech and fell to 8-6.
