Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
Abilene Christian
No. 19 Texas Tech Wins Fourth Straight
April 15, 2015 | Baseball
Gardner went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and the eventual game-winning RBI in the ninth.
April 14, 2015
ABILENE, Texas - No. 19 Texas Tech won its fourth straight game with a 7-6 victory over Abilene Christian on Tuesday evening in front of 1,537 fans at Crutcher Scott Field.
The Red Raiders (23-14) picked up their sixth midweek win of the season and had nine players with a base hit, run scored or RBI in their second win over the Wildcats this season. ACU dropped to 8-25 overall on the year.
Freshman third baseman Tanner Gardner broke a 4-4 tie in the fifth inning with his second home run of the season - a line shot off the scoreboard in right field - and drove in the eventual game-winning run in the top of the ninth inning with an RBI single.
Junior right-handed pitcher Matt Withrow (1-0) earned his first win of the season pitching a scoreless inning in relief while striking out the side.
Senior right-handed pitcher Dominic Moreno notched his fifth save of the season - his second pitching multiple innings - with two innings pitched with one walk and allowing a run on four hits to close the contest.
ACU starting right-handed pitcher Drew Hanson (1-1) took the loss allowing six runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings with five strikeouts and three walks allowed.
Junior centerfielder Zach Davis went 2-for-4, Gardner went 2-for-5 with two RBI, junior first baseman Eric Gutierrez went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI and freshman shortstop Orlando Garcia scored two runs on an RBI double in the second inning.
ACU had 14 hits in the loss while four Wildcats had a multi-hit game and rightfielder Chris Altimont went 3-for-5 with three RBI.
Tech will return to Big 12 play this weekend while traveling to Manhattan, Kansas to face Kansas State, April 17-19, at Tointon Family Stadium.
NOTES:
- Texas Tech improved to 31-16 all-time against Abilene Christian and is 7-10 against the Wildcats in Abilene dating back to 1926 ... Tuesday's game marked the first meeting between these schools in Abilene since 1976 ... Tech has won nine in a row during the series dating back to 1976 ... Red Raiders have won 17 of the last 18 since 1968.
- Texas Tech is 17-2 when scoring at least six runs this season ... Red Raiders are 20-1 when leading after six innings this year.
- Texas Tech has 12 players that have a game-winning RBI this season - Tanner Gardner became the 12th with an RBI single in the ninth inning that provided the game-winning run.
- Texas Tech has homered in six consecutive games (8 HR) for the first time since Apr. 24-May 2, 2010 (14 HR).
- Texas Tech has hit 27 home runs in 37 games this season ... Red Raiders hit 26th home run in their 55th game last season.
- Tyler Neslony has a nine-game hit streak ... batting .375 (15-for-40) with four runs, three doubles, three RBI and three walks during hit streak.
- Tyler Neslony has reached base safely in 18 consecutive games.
- Stephen Smith had a pair of walks - has a Big 12-leading 34 walks this season.
- Eric Gutierrez has started in 159 straight games - spanning his entire three-year Tech career.
- Eric Gutierrez has an 11-game hit streak ... batting .432 (16-for-37) during streak with six runs, three doubles, nine RBI, 10 walks, .569 on-base percentage.
- Eric Gutierrez has reached base safely in 14 consecutive games.
- Eric Gutierrez recorded his 13th multi-hit game of the season - leads the team ... marked 47th career multi-hit game ... has four multi-hit games during his last seven games.
- Zach Davis recorded his fifth multi-hit game of the season.
- Tanner Gardner's RBI single in the ninth inning marked his first career game-winning RBI.
- Tanner Gardner has hit safely in seven of the last eight games.
- Tanner Gardner posted his fourth multi-hit game.
