Molina's 11 K's guides No. 24 Tech past Michigan

Saturday, March 4

Houston, TX

11 a.m. CT

Texas Tech Athletics

11-1

Michigan

4-6

Michigan

Texas Tech

Molina's 11 K's guides No. 24 Tech past Michigan

March 04, 2023 | Baseball

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By: Matt Burkholder

HOUSTON – The No. 24 Texas Tech baseball team returned to its winning ways on Saturday afternoon, defeating Michigan 10-7 on the second day of the Shriners Children's College Classic at Minute Maid Park. The offense was alive and well producing double-digit scoring for the seventh time in 12 games this season after the Red Raiders suffered its first loss, 3-2, on Friday.

Tech starter Mason Molina improved to 2-0 on the mound, paving the way for the offense to do its thing. The sophomore southpaw tossed a career-high 11 strikeouts, against just one walk, over six complete innings. He was roughed up for three runs in the third inning in an otherwise flawless start.

When Molina turned the ball over to the Red Raiders' bullpen in the top of the seventh, Texas Tech led 7-3. The Red Raiders' offense kept ticking by scoring three more down the stretch and held a 10-4 cushion going into the final frame.

While it took until the seventh inning against Rice on Friday for Texas Tech to get on the scoreboard, that was not the case on Saturday as the Red Raiders scored a pair in the first inning. The Wolverines' starter Chase Allen labored in the opening frame needing 28 pitches while Molina was off to a fast start striking out the side using just 13 pitches.

Through the Red Raider order the first time around, Tech matched its four hits in game one of the tournament with its first nine at-bats on Saturday. Settling into its surroundings, Tech grew its lead to 5-0 after the first two innings. Michigan rallied to score three runs with two outs in the top of the third, pulling as close as they would for the remainder of the game, 5-3.

Austin Green and Dillon Carter led Texas Tech with three hits apiece. Two of Green's three hits were triples albeit sun-aided as it wreaked havoc on the Wolverine outfielders for most of the afternoon. Nevertheless, Green is the first Red Raider to log a pair of triples in the same game since Cody Farhat did so on April 26, 2017, at New Mexico.

Trendan Parish recorded eight of the final nine outs before Zane Petty entered looking for the last out in the ninth. The freshman allowed three baserunners until being relieved by Jase Lopez. With it turning into a save situation, 10-7, Lopez punched out the final batter with five pitches and earned his first career save.

Up Next
The Shriners Children's College Classic concludes for Texas Tech on Sunday at 7 p.m. The Red Raiders face Texas A&M, in their second matchup since the Aggies exited the Big 12. The last matchup was also at the College Classic during the 2017 edition at Minute Maid Park.