Tech Rallies Past UNM, Advances To NCAA Regional Final
June 04, 2016 | Baseball
June 4, 2016
LUBBOCK, Texas -- Texas Tech scored three runs in the eighth and ninth innings, capped off by a go-ahead Stephen Smith home run to top New Mexico, 4-3, on Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
After a two-out, two-run single from Ryan Long tied the game in the eighth, Stephen Smith launched his 10th home run of the season over the right-field fence to lead off the ninth, pushing the Red Raiders (43-16) to the NCAA Lubbock Regional championship game on Sunday night.
The Red Raiders will face the winner of an elimination game between Dallas Baptist and New Mexico (36-22) at 6 p.m. Sunday in front of another expected sellout crowd. Dallas Baptist previously defeated Fairfield, 8-5, in an elimination game earlier in the day.
The sellout crowd had plenty to cheer for in the ninth as Hayden Howard closed a quick bottom of the inning with a pickoff at first base that sealed his team-leading eighth save of the season.
Ryan Shetter (4-2) earned the win for the Red Raiders following two scoreless innings of relief in the seventh and eighth. He was the third of four relievers for a Tech bullpen that combined to allow just two hits over six shutout innings.
New Mexico reliever Christian Tripp (2-2) took the loss after allowing the final two runs off three hits and a walk. He entered to face Eric Gutierrez with two outs in the eighth and Cory Raley standing on first base after a leadoff walk to start the inning.
Gutierrez lined a single into centerfield, extending his reached base streak to 21-consecutive games in the process. Long followed a Hunter Hargrove walk with his pinch-hit single up the middle that easily scored both Raley and Gutierrez.
Tech finished with seven hits off the New Mexico pitching staff, four of which that came over the final three frames after Lobos starter Tyler Stevens stymied the Red Raiders early by escaping jams in both the first and third innings.
Stevens settled with a no-decision despite allowing just two runs, only one of which that was earned, off three hits, four walks and seven strikeouts over his 7.1 innings. He was replaced following the one-out walk to Raley in the eighth.
The Red Raiders, who left four runners on base through the first three innings, took a brief one-run lead in the top of the third after a two-out RBI single from Tanner Gardner. It was the first of two hits on the night for Gardner, who finished 2-for-5 overall for his team-leading 24th multi-hit game this season.
New Mexico answered in the bottom half of the third with a two-run homer from Jared Mang. The Lobos padded their lead further an inning later as Luis Gonzalez scampered home on a wild pitch with two outs in the inning.
Tech is now 3-1 against New Mexico this season as three of the four games have been decided in the ninth or in extra innings. The Lobos open the third day of the NCAA Lubbock Regional with a 2 p.m. first pitch Sunday against Dallas Baptist.
GONE! Stephen Smith's 9th-inning homer moves @TTU_Baseball to 2-0 in the Lubbock Regional! pic.twitter.com/Lyhy3KM2zb
-- ESPNU (@ESPNU) June 5, 2016
