Bullpen guides No. 24 Tech to 9-4 win

Tuesday, February 28

Lubbock, TX

6:30 p.m. CT

Texas Tech Athletics

9-0

Air Force

2-6

Air Force

Texas Tech

February 28, 2023 | Baseball

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By: Matt Burkholder

LUBBOCK, Texas – In its first game under the lights in 2023, No. 24 Texas Tech defeated Air Force 9-4 on Tuesday at Rip Griffin Park. A battery of five bullpen arms led the Red Raiders to victory after an abrupt end to the day of starter Bo Blessie.

It started in the first inning with Josh Sanders, inheriting the bases loaded, with one out and a 2-1 count when Blessie exited. The junior needed three pitches to induce a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning unscathed and altered the trajectory of the game.

"I thought Josh Sanders bailed us out big time and threw the ball well, it's really hard to do what he did," said head coach Tim Tadlock. "Zach Erdman threw the ball well. Ethan Coombes had a good inning which was huge at the time. Then Brandon Beckel picked him up, then Damian Bravo threw the last inning. Baseball is about picking each other up, I think that the whole group picked up Bo Blessie, they all care for him, they're all friends, and they hate it for him. The whole team really picked him up for that matter."

The long ball scored all four of Air Force's runs on Tuesday. A pair of home runs in the second inning, a two-run shot and a solo, were hit against Sanders while one more solo home run was knocked in the sixth inning.

In the second career appearance of his freshman season, Zach Erdman tossed three scoreless innings of middle relief over the third, fourth and fifth innings. Ethan Coombes pitched the sixth, allowing a solo home run, and started the seventh but turned the ball over to Brandon Beckel after allowing back-to-back singles to start the inning.

Beckel picked up Coombes, making quick work, retiring the Falcons' 2-3-4 hitters to maintain a 6-4 lead, slamming the door on any rally by stranding the two runners he inherited with zero outs. He faced the minimum of six and struck out four – matching his career-high. Damian Bravo closed the game in the ninth, securing the 9-4 win for the Red Raiders. It was his third career appearance, each has been in the ninth inning, but none yet save situations, but he has yet to allow a hit when given the ball in the final frame.

Texas Tech's offense continues to score a high clip, as they've now pushed across nine runs or better six times over the first nine games. Tech scored in the first inning for the fifth time this season as Austin Green registered his sixth sacrifice fly of the season. The Red Raiders tied the game, 3-3, in the home half of the second inning behind Hudson White's second home run of the season. A leadoff walk to Gavin Kash assisted in tying the game as White drove him home on the next at-bat.

A 3-3 contest entering the bottom of the fifth flipped to a 6-3 lead for the Red Raiders once the home team broke through against Air Force relief pitcher Jake Sansing. A string of retiring 10-straight batters was snapped by a one-out Will Burns single. It was the first of four-straight Red Raiders reaching base. Nolan Hester posted an RBI single which was followed by Kevin Bazzell breaking the game open with a two-RBI double to put Tech in front 6-3.

Gage Harrelson put the exclamation mark on the game for Texas Tech. In the seventh, Harrelson provided the speed to give Tech an insurance run on a wild pitch, scoring from third base. In the eighth, the true freshman connected for his first career triple to plate two more runs.

Up Next
Texas Tech closes its midweek series at 2 p.m. versus Air Force, marking the conclusion of the Red Raiders' 10-game homestand to start the 2023 season.