Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
7-3
CSU Bakersfield
4-7
11-run fifth powers Tech to 7th-straight win
February 28, 2026 | Baseball
Connor Shouse drove in four in the frame to propel Tech to its third-straight run-rule victory
LUBBOCK, Texas – Behind hits from eight of its nine starters and four RBIs (three on a 440-plus foot home run) from Connor Shouse, Texas Tech Baseball blew open a 3-3 game in the fifth to a 14-3 run-rule win Saturday afternoon at Rip Griffin Park at Dan Law Field.
In front of the largest home crowd of the season (3759) and on an "Chamber of Commerce" 80-degree day in Lubbock, the red-hot Texas Tech (7-3) bats erupted for 11 runs in the fifth inning to roll to their seventh-straight win overall and third-straight run-rule win.
A day after the Red Raiders turned in a 17-run and 17-hit performance against CSU Bakersfield (4-7), they followed up the seven-inning win with another 14 runs on 15 total hits, marking the seventh-straight game that the Red Raider offense has scored at least eight runs in a contest.
That streak is the longest by a Tech squad since the 2023 season when Tech scored eight or more runs in eight-straight contests against Texas Southern (Feb. 23-25), Gardner-Webb (Mar. 1-3), at New Mexico (Mar. 5) and against Texas (Mar. 8).
One week after the strongest performance of his Red Raider career, junior Lukas Pirko again threw well on Saturday afternoon as the righty tossed five innings of three-hit ball for his second win of the season.
Pirko, who needed 25 pitches to limit the CSUB damage to just a run in the first, struck out four over his 72 pitch outing.
After the Roadrunners struck first for the second-straight day, the Red Raiders used a lead-off single from Garcia and a throwing error from starter Shane McAlinden to put the tying run in scoring position with nobody out.
The next Red Raider hitter, Caden Ferraro, singled home Garcia to tie the game at one-all. Ferraro went 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs scored and two RBIs in the contest while Garcia also had two hits, two runs and two RBIs in four at-bats (2-for-4).
With the game still deadlocked at one in the fourth, Tech got doubles from Logan Hughes (lead-off), Ferraro and DH Davis Rivers to take a 3-1 lead to the fifth.
After a lead-off error, a single and a sac-bunt placed the tying runs in scoring position with one, Pirko rebounded to strike out the next CSU Bakersfield batter he faced to pull to within an out of escaping the trouble.
Behind in the count 2-0, Pirko allowed a line-drive double to CSUB first baseman Evan Cloyd that plated both runners and tied the game at three-all.
Looking to respond, the Red Raiders did just that, hanging 11 runs on seven hits off three different CSUB pitchers.
The capper to the first double-digit frame of the season was the three run Shouse bomb that cleared the visitors bullpen in left field and landed onto Akron Avenue.
The ball exploded off the Georgia Tech transfers bat at 113 MPH and traveled 443-feet.
Armed with an 11-run lead, the Red Raiders got a pair of scoreless innings from senior Johnny Lowe (6th) and freshman Adam Hayes (7th) to close out the Saturday win and clinch at least the series victory.
With two more scoreless frames on the mound following a run scored, the Red Raiders have now not allowed an earned run in 15-straight shutdown inning opportunities and have fired a zero in 13 of the last 15 shutdown innings.
In the win, the Red Raiders continued to work quality at-bats, as the offense struck out just two times and walked three times. They were also hit by three pitches.
For the season, the Red Raider offense has now walked 73 times in 10 games and struck out just 70. The Red Raiders have also been hit by 10 pitches running the Red Raider on-base percentage to an impressive .480.
On the mound, the Red Raiders continue to get great pitching as the Red Raider arms have now allowed one earned run or fewer in three of the last five games and have now pitched to a 3.06 ERA at home this season and held opponents to just an average of .200.
UP NEXT:
Tech will seek its eighth-straight win, and second-straight series sweep on Sunday morning in the series finale against CSU Bakersfield. First pitch from Rip Griffin Park at Dan Law Field is set for 11 a.m. Â
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Pirko, Lukas (2-1)
L: Shane McAlinden (0-3)
Batting:
2B: Jacob May 1 ; Evan Cloyd 1
RBI: Evan Cloyd 2 ; Elgin Bennett 1
SH: Carlos Cordero 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jacob May 1 ; Brendan Thompson 1 ; Carter Jorissen 1
CS: Jacob May 1
Batting:
2B: Rusinek, Jesse 1 ; Lopez, Tracer 1 ; Hughes, Logan 2 ; Ferraro, Caden 1 ; Rivers, Davis 1
HR: Shouse, Connor 1
RBI: Rusinek, Jesse 1 ; Lopez, Tracer 2 ; Shouse, Connor 4 ; Garcia, Linkin 2 ; Ferraro, Caden 2 ; Rivers, Davis 2 ; Villeneuve, Robin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Rusinek, Jesse 2 ; Lopez, Tracer 1 ; Shouse, Connor 2 ; Hughes, Logan 2 ; Garcia, Linkin 2 ; Ferraro, Caden 2 ; Quintanar, Matt 1 ; Rivers, Davis 1 ; Villeneuve, Robin 1
HBP: Quintanar, Matt 1 ; Villeneuve, Robin 2
