Texas Tech University Athletics
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Texas Tech Drops Kansas State 8-3 In Series Opener
April 16, 2004 | Baseball
April 16, 2004
LUBBOCK, Texas - Senior right-hander Steven Thomas held Kansas State to just three runs in seven innings and junior second baseman Jose Delgado went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI to lead Texas Tech to an 8-3 win over the Wildcats on Friday night at Dan Law Field.
The win pushes Texas Tech's current win streak to four games as the Red Raiders improve to 22-12 overall and 4-5 in the Big 12. Kansas State fell to 21-14 on the season and 2-8 in league play.
Texas Tech jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as shortstop Cameron Blair led off the inning with a single to center field and then scored on an RBI single by junior first baseman Josh Brady. Senior third baseman Josh Haney picked up his seventh home run of the season behind Brady as he launched a two-run dinger over the left-center field fence.
Kansas State got on the board in the top of the third on a solo home run by Terry Blunt. The home run was Blunt's first of the season and just the 16th by the Wildcats this year.
Tech tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the third on another two-run home run, this time by second baseman Jose Delgado. The homer was his second of the season and the first since the game against Houston back in the Minute Maid College Classic in early February.
The Red Raiders pushed their lead to 7-2 in the bottom of half of the sixth on a two-RBI single by Cody Fuller that went skirting through the right side of the Kansas State infield.
Jo Heinrich led off the Kansas State seventh with a double to left and then scored on an RBI single by Jason Long, pulling the Wildcats to within four at 7-3.
After picking up an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh, Tech rode the arm or reliever Barrett Pliler who held the Wildcats to just one hit and struckout three in the final two innings of the game.
Steven Thomas (3-4) picked up his third win of the season as he held Kansas State to three earned runs on nine hits and struckout four in seven innings of work. Brett Bagley (4-4) was tagged with the loss for Kansas State as he allowed seven earned runs on nine hits.
Jose Delgado went 3-for-5 with two RBI to lead the Tech offense while three different players picked up two hits each for Kansas State.
Texas Tech and Kansas State will play the second game of this three-game series on Saturday afternoon at Dan Law Field. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.
GAME NOTES
- Texas Tech's 8-3 win over Kansas State marked its first Friday Big 12 win since defeating Nebraska 16-9 on April 25 of last season.
- Tech has now won three-straight Big 12 games marking its longest Big 12 win streak since 2002 when the Red Raiders won their final eight conference regular-season games.
- The Red Raiders tallied eight stolen bases in the game and that ties the season high set previously against Northern Illinois on Feb. 22.
- Tonight was "Turn Back The Clock Night" at Dan Law Field as the team wore replica uniforms from the 1926 season (Tech's first on the diamond). This promotion is now in its third season and Tech is a perfect 3-0 on Turn Back The Clock Night. Tech beat Missouri 7-4 in 2002 and Nebraska 16-9 in 2003.
- Junior shortstop Cameron Blair logged a season-high nine assists and had a perfect fielding percentage for the evening.
- Texas Tech has now played four consecutive Big 12 games without a fielding error. Tech's last fielding error in a Big 12 game came against Texas in the first game of a doubleheader on April 3.
- Tonight's attendance was 3,237.
