No. 6 Tech Holds On To Beat UTSA, 7-6

Friday, March 10

Lubbock, Texas

6:30 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

13-2

San Antonio

7-6

UTSA

Texas Tech

March 10, 2017 | Baseball

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The 13-2 start for the Red Raiders is the program’s best through 15 games since 2005

LUBBOCK, Texas – The No. 6 Texas Tech baseball team posted seven runs on 13 hits to secure a 7-6 victory in the first of a three-game series against UTSA on Friday night at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.

The Red Raiders (13-2) hung on thanks to a strong closing performance from the bullpen, after righty starter Davis Martin tossed 6.0 innings, giving up just two runs on six hits, striking out five. It was only the second time this season in four starts Martin allowed a walk, bringing his season line to 18 strikeouts & two walks. He faced the minimum amount of hitters through the first three frames, lasting until one out in the third before giving up a hit.

Relief pitchers Parker Mushinski, Jose Quezada, and John McMillon finished out the last 2.2 innings for Tech after a furious comeback in the seventh by the Roadrunners. The win improved Tech to 8-0 at home this season and the fourth in-a-row. The 13-2 start for Tech is the best start to a season since the 2005 season, when the team also started out 13-2.

Junior outfielder Tanner Gardner put together another strong day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with four singles, two RBI and one run scored. It's the second time in his career he's recorded four hits in a game, doing so against Texas last season on April 22, 2016. Friday night's performance was also his fifth multi-hit game of the year, which ranks second on the team, and his second multi-RBI game of 2017.

The reason he isn't tied for the lead is due to teammates Hunter Hargrove and Grant Little improving their season multi-hit game totals to six, as Hargrove racked up three hits and Little notched two against the Roadrunners. The duo also combined to score five of Tech's seven runs. Hargrove's three-hit day helped continue his run of at least one hit in every game this season, while extending his overall hitting streak to 18 games, dating back to the 2016 campaign.

Tech wasted no time putting runs up on the board after an RBI single by junior infielder Michael Davis scored Little from second base early in the first inning. After a pair of bunts by Hargrove and Gardner loaded the bases for Tech, junior infielder Orlando Garcia grounded into a double play, plating Davis from third to give the Red Raiders a 2-0 lead.

It was the ninth time this season Tech has scored first and the sixth game the Red Raiders have put a run on the board in the first inning.

After a scoreless second frame, the Red Raider bats caught fire once more in the bottom of the third, which opened with a walk by Little and a sacrifice bunt by Davis. Hargrove followed by smacking a base hit in the next at-bat to move Little over to third and put runners on the corners with one out. Next up was Gardner, who laid down a perfect bunt single between the pitcher and the first baseman to drive in Little. The Red Raiders would end up scoring three runs in the inning, capped by an RBI single from Garcia and a sacrifice bunt by freshman infielder Josh Jung.

The small ball was effective against the Roadrunners, as Tech put down three bunt singles over the first three frames.

Back-to-back singles from Hargrove and Gardner in the bottom of the fifth put runners on the corners with no outs, signaling the end of Nolan Trabanino's night, who went 4.0 innings, giving up 11 hits, while being charged with six runs after an RBI groundout by Garcia gave Tech its sixth run of the night. Trabanino was unable to strikeout a Red Raider on Friday, facing 22 batters.

Little led off the sixth inning with a single through the left side, and quickly moved over to second via a stolen base. Having him in scoring position made it easy for Gardner to bring him home, doing so on a single to left field to put Tech up, 7-2.

Martin's only two runs given up came on a two-RBI single by Trent Bowles in the top of the fourth inning. Martin pounded the strike zone early, as 15 of his first 22 pitches were strikes. Martin's second-longest outing of the season saw him allow his second-lowest number of hits and fire the second-highest number of strikeouts this season with six and five, respectively.

Junior Jacob Patterson came in to relieve Martin in the seventh inning. Patterson's outing was a short one, however, as the lefty allowed 3 hits, 4 earned runs, and a walk in his third of an inning of work. Friday night was Patterson's seventh appearance on the season.

After a triple with the bases loaded in the seventh, Tech called upon another junior lefty, Parker Mushinski, to get out of the jam with the tying run on third and one out. Mushinski was up to the task, stranding the Roadrunner at third to end any scoring threat and keep the Red Raiders with a 7-6 lead.

Junior right-hander Jose Quezada took over for Mushinski in the eighth, striking out 1 batter and allowing only 1 hit over the 1.2 IP. Quezada arguably made the play of the night in the top of the ninth inning with a runner on second and no outs. After a bunt back to Quezada by UTSA sent pinch hitter Ryan Stacy running toward third, Quezada hurled a bullet to Jung to get the first out of the frame. A 6-3 groundout on the following play was the last for Quezada on the night.

Freshman righty John McMillon closed it out for Tech with two outs and a runner on second, inducing a fly out to left field to secure the win and his second save of the season.

Game two of the series is set for a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday, March 11. Steven Gingery is scheduled to toe the rubber for the Red Raiders. The southpaw has posted a 3-0 mark with a 1.23 ERA and registered 23 strikeouts in his 22 innings of work this season.

What a play! Quezada fields the bunt and nails the lead runner at third! One down for UTSA. #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/XMeIdoBcsj
— Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) March 11, 2017