Tech walked off in 11 by No. 7 Arkansas despite late rally

Sunday, February 15

Arlington, Texas

2:30 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

0-3

No. 7 Arkansas

2-1

Texas Tech

Arkansas

Tech walked off in 11 by No. 7 Arkansas despite late rally

February 15, 2026 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Once down 4-0, the Red Raiders led 5-4 in the ninth before Arkansas tied it in the ninth and won it in the 11th

By: Andrew Stern

ARLINGTON – Once down 4-0 to the number-seven team in the country, Texas Tech Baseball rallied for five unanswered runs to take a 5-4 lead into the home half of the ninth, before the seventh-ranked Razorbacks used a one-out game tying home run and a walk-off sac-fly to defeat the Red Raiders 5-4, in 11-innings Sunday afternoon at Globe Life Field.

Limited to just two hits in the game's first seven innings, Texas Tech (0-3) used a sac-fly from senior infielder Tracer Lopez to pull to within 4-1.

After Weatherford product Will Jordan struck out the side in the eighth, the Red Raiders put together quality at-bat after quality at-bat for the first crooked number (three-plus runs) of the young season.

Looking to spark a rally, the Red Raiders got a four-pitch lead-off walk from Logan Hughes and a single from freshman SS Linkin Garcia to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of transfer Hollis Porter.

Even in the count (2-2), Porter turned on a 97 MPH fastball from Arkansas (2-1) closer Cooper Dossett and ripped a 104 MPH 19-degree missile that Arkansas left fielder and lead-off hitter Damian Ruiz was able to snag with a full-length stretch one step from the wall.

Despite the first out of the inning being recorded the Red Raiders still had two outs to play with and the tying run at the plate.

The next Red Raider batter, catcher Matt Quintanar, won a seven-pitch battle with Dossett to load the bases with one out.

After Dossett fanned first baseman Robin Villeneuve on an elevated 97 MPH fastball for the games 26th out, the Red Raiders used a four-pitch Jace Souza free pass to get to within 4-2. The sophomore walked three times in his first start of the 2026 season.

Tech once again used a free pass, this time when Kyeler Thompson was clipped with a pitch in the helmet to pull to within a run at 4-3.

With the go-ahead run in scoring position and with just one out to play, the Red Raiders most experienced player, Lopez, delivered his first hit of 2026, ripping a single to left that plated both pinch-runner Luke Orfi and Souza.

The knock gave the Red Raiders their lone lead of the afternoon at 5-4.

Following his strong eighth, the Red Raiders again turned to Jordan, who facing the heart of the Arkansas order retired Preseason All-American Maika Niu on a grounder to short.

Ahead in the count 0-2, Jordan tried to blow a fastball by Arkansas' Cam Kozeal, but the veteran barreled the pitch up for a game-tying solo-homer. The ball traveled 415-feet and exited the bat at 105 MPH.

Looking to send the game to extras, Jordan rebounded to retire the next two batters in order.

After the teams traded 1-2-3 innings in the 10th, Arkansas' Steele Eaves worked around a two-out walk to send the game to the Arkansas half of the 11th tied at five.

Facing Tech righty Logan Bevis for the second inning (Bevis tossed the 1-2-3, 10th inning), the Razorbacks quickly got back-to-back singles from Ruiz and catcher Ryder Helfrick to put runners on the corners with nobody out for Niu.

On the second pitch he saw from new reliever Jacob Rodgers, Niu lifted a fly-ball that was deep enough to plate the speedy Ruiz from third and seal the Razorbacks third-straight one-run win over the Red Raiders and the second walk-off win against Tech in that span. Arkansas walked the Red Raiders off in the first game of the two-game series in Fayetteville during the 2024 season.

To start the Sunday contest, the Red Raiders turned to sophomore Connor Mohan who looked good in his first career Sunday start.

After back-to-back scoreless innings from Mohan and Arkansas starter Colin Fisher sent the game to the third scoreless, the Razorbacks broke through in the third when Niu plated Ruiz from third on an RBI groundout. Ruiz reached on a lead-off walk and went first-to-third on a single by Helfrick.

Not fazed by allowing the first run of his 2026 season, Mohan won a 2-2 battle with Kozeal, using a strikeout and a pop-up to send the game to the fourth.

In the end, Mohan tossed 3.2 innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run (three total runs). Despite walking five, Mohan also set a new career high whiffing five.

Like Saturday afternoon against Vanderbilt, the Red Raiders once again who plagued by a pair of fielding miscues, as a failed would-be inning-ending 4-6-3 double play combined with a two-run throwing error on a routine grounder to third base gave the Razorbacks a 3-0 lead. The miscues also chased Mohan from the game.

Armed with the momentum, and with Fisher cruising through five, the Razorbacks used an RBI double from Tech transfer TJ Pompey to take a 4-0 lead.

Fisher, who has now started the last two contests against the Red Raiders, went five innings and allowed just one hit and two walks in five scoreless frames. He whiffed eight batters and landed 56 of his 82 pitches for strikes.

The game remained 4-0 in favor of the top-10 Razorbacks due to strong reliever innings from a pair of DFW products in freshman Jesse Rusinek and senior Jonny Lowe.

In his first career appearance, Rusinek flashed a 94-97 MPH sinker, striking out three of the five Razorback batters he'd face. Rusinek allowed just one base runner, on a single, while Lowe needed just 17 pitches to record five outs. The senior allowed just two hits, fanned two and didn't walk a batter.

Tech's best chance in the game to score for the first seven innings, came in the sixth, when a single from Thompson and a walk placed a pair of runners on with nobody out.

On the first pitch he threw to Tech third baseman Connor Shouse, reliever James DeCremer started a 1-6-3 double play that extinguished the Red Raider threat.

In the eighth, the Red Raiders again placed the first two runners on, on a lead-off single and a walk. After Thompson sacrificed both Villeneuve (single) and Souza into scoring position, Lopez lofted the sac-fly to break the ice for the Red Raiders.

In total, the Red Raider pitchers shined Sunday, as Tech allowed just four earned runs over the 10+ innings of action and struck out 14 batters. Every Tech pitcher that pitched at least two-thirds of an inning recorded at least one punch out.

At the plate, the Red Raiders also drew eight Arkansas walks, as every UofA pitcher walked at least a singular batter.

UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders will close out a four-game road trip on Tuesday night at UTRGV. First pitch from the Valley is set for 6:35 p.m.