No. 5 Tech Drops 4-3 Decision To Sam Houston State

Monday, June 5

Lubbock, Texas

2 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

45-17

Sam Houston State

44-21

Texas Tech

Sam Houston State

No. 5 Tech Drops 4-3 Decision To Sam Houston State

June 05, 2017 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes (PDF)

The Red Raiders finish the season with a 45-17 record, the fifth-most wins in school history

LUBBOCK, Texas – The No. 5 Texas Tech baseball team was unable to overcome a pair of errors and stranded a pair of runners in scoring position over the last two innings as Sam Houston State claimed a 4-3 win Monday afternoon at Rip Griffin Park.

The Bearkats (44-21) move onto the NCAA Super Regional Round and take on the winner of tonight's Florida State and Auburn contest, while Tech (45-17) had its streak of two consecutive NCAA Regional titles come to a close.

The Red Raiders ripped 12 hits but were limited to three runs after leaving 10 runners on-base, five in scoring position. Senior first baseman Hunter Hargrove turned in a 3-for-5 performance, while junior shortstop Orlando Garcia, freshman third baseman Josh Jung and freshman outfielder Grant Little each collected two hits.

SHSU was the first on the scoreboard in the second inning. Robie Rojas began the frame with a double. He crossed the plate courtesy of a RBI single from Hunter Hearn RBI single to right field.

The Red Raiders put runners into scoring position during the second, third and fourth innings before Tech broke through with a three-run flurry in the fifth to grab a 3-1 lead. With one out, Little ignited the rally with a double in the right-centerfield gap. Two batters later, Gardner beat the shift with a two-out single to right field for the equalizer. Hargrove and Garcia cranked back-to-back RBI singles of their own to give the Red Raiders a two-run edge. For Garcia, it was his team-leading 19th and 20th RBI with two outs on the season.

The Bearkats answered back with a run in the home half of the frame. Hearn struck for a leadoff single and came around to score on a bloop double to right field from Taylor Beene to make it 3-2.

Tech would hand the ball to junior southpaw Parker Mushinski in relief. He kept the score at 3-2 with a pair of strikeouts, the inning-ender coming with SHSU runners on second and third base.

Sophomore right-hander Davis Martin got the starting nod for the Red Raiders for the second time of the weekend. He scattered six hits on two runs and piled up six strikeouts against zero walks in his 4.1 innings of work. Martin would retire seven batters in a row during the second, third and fourth innings sparked by a run of five-straight Ks.
SHSU manufactured the go-ahead runs and made the most of a two-out, two-base throwing error on the infield to regain a 4-3 advantage.

The Red Raiders had opportunities to draw even during the eighth and ninth innings. Singles from Hargrove and senior right fielder Ryan Long placed runners on the corners in the eighth followed by a Jung double and a Gardner walk with two outs in the ninth. However, SHSU relievers Heath Donica and Nick Mikolajchak wiggled out of trouble.

After making their third postseason appearance in four years, the Red Raiders close the 2017 season with a 45-17 record, the fifth-most wins in school history. Along the way, Tech captured the Big 12 championship for the second-straight year, while several individuals were rewarded for their seasons with numerous accolades and awards.

2017 NCAA Lubbock All-Regional Team
C – Cesar Salazar (Arizona)
C – Robie Rojas (Sam Houston State)
INF – Hunter Hargrove (Texas Tech)
INF – Hunter Hearn (Sam Houston State)
INF – Josh Jung (Texas Tech)
INF – Nick Patten (Delaware)
OF – Tanner Gardner (Texas Tech)
OF – Clayton Harp (Sam Houston State)
OF – Bryce Johnson (Sam Houston State)
P – Riley Cooper (Sam Houston State)
P – Steven Gingery (Texas Tech)
P – Nick Mikolajchak (Sam Houston State)
Most Outstanding Player – Riley Cooper (Sam Houston State)