Tech drops 9-8 midweek opener to No. 24 UTSA

Tuesday, March 10

6:30 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

10-5

No. 24 UTSA

14-2

UTSA

Texas Tech

Tech drops 9-8 midweek opener to No. 24 UTSA

March 11, 2026 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF) Press Conference Highlights

The Red Raiders cut a 9-4 UTSA lead to 9-7 in the sixth before falling by a singular run

By: Andrew Stern

LUBBOCK, Texas – Once down 9-4 heading to the bottom of the sixth, Texas Tech Baseball pulled to within 9-7 after six before falling 9-8, to No. 24 UTSA Tuesday night at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.

After very little went its way for the first 5.5 innings of play, Texas Tech (10-5) brought the winning run to the plate twice in the ninth before coming up short.

In the setback the Red Raiders did reach eight runs for a program-record 12th-straight game and recorded 12 hits and six walks.

After allowing runs in each of the first four innings and five of the first six innings, Tech got three perfect innings from reliever Bryce Suiter to have a chance to tie or win the game in the ninth with the heart of the lineup up.

Looking to bring the tying run to the plate, Tech outfielder Logan Hughes worked his second walk of the night against tough UTSA (14-2) reliever Sam Simmons.

After a strikeout put the first out of the inning on the board, Big 12 Newcomer of the Week Caden Ferraro singled off Simmons to bring the winning run to the plate in the form of catcher Matt Quintanar.

Ahead in the count 2-0, Quintanar ripped a 100 MPH line drive deep into right, that UTSAs Lane Haworth was able to track down for the second out of the inning. The lineout was productive as it scored Hughes from first.

Haworth was a key contributor on the night for UTSA as the slugger went 4-for-5 with two doubles. He scored twice and drove a run.

Down to their last out, and with freshman Jesse Rusinek strolling to the plate 3-for-3 with a walk on the night, Simmons spiked a 2-2 breaking ball that the freshman chased for the final out of the ball game.

After UTSA had runners on second and third with one out in the first, Tech starter Jackson Burns coaxed a sac-fly and a grounder to short to limit the damage to just a run.

With a runner on first base and two outs in their half of the first, the Red Raiders nearly tied the ballgame at one-all but a low-line drive off the bat of Hughes was caught in centerfield by Christian Hallmark deep in
the gap. With third baseman Connor Shouse running on contact, if the ball had found the gap, it likely would have plated the speedy infielder.

Following two more runs from UTSA in the top of the second gave the visitors a 3-0 lead, the Red Raiders nearly struck for two runs when a deep drive off the bat of Ferraro was caught at the wall for the innings first out.

The Red Raiders did however score once in the frame, when an RBI single from Rusinek plated fellow freshman Linkin Garcia for the Red Raiders first run of the night. The run was Garcia's 25th run of the season.

Down 5-1 heading to the bottom of the fourth after an RBI single from Haworth, the Red Raiders used three singles to the lead the bases with one out for first baseman Robin Villeneuve.

Ahead in the count 2-0 and 3-1, Villeneuve worked a five pitch walk to bring the Red Raiders to within 5-2.

With the go-ahead run at the plate, UTSA reliever Mike Debattista struck out Kyeler Thompson swinging and got Tracer Lopez to foul out to strand the bases loaded.

After the teams traded zeros in the fifth, the Roadrunners struck for four in the sixth, on a wind-aided home run from Caden Miller and a 416-foot three-run home run from catcher Andrew Stucky.

The solo home run from Miller came after Tech freshman Logan Addison looked to have had the UTSA lead-off man struck out on both 0-2 and 1-2.

Facing the largest deficit of the night, the Red Raider bats came alive as three-straight run-scoring singles from Rusinek, Villeneuve and Thompson brought the Red Raiders to within 9-5.

After a productive out put two in scoring position with one out, Tech used an infield hit from Shouse to plate the innings fourth run and runners on the corners with one out for Hughes.

On the first pitch he saw from the reliever Simmons, Hughes grounded out scoring Thompson from third and advancing Shouse to second. Down in the count 1-2, the Red Raiders next batter, Garcia, ran the count
full, before grounding out to end the frame.

The crooked number (3+ runs) was Tech's 25th of the season. Tonight's loss to the nationally-ranked Roadrunners snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Red Raiders when recording a crooked number. Prior
to tonight's setback, the Red Raiders lone other loss when scoring three-plus times in an inning came against No. 7 Arkansas.

Following a 1-2-3 seventh from Suiter, the Red Raiders again put a runner in scoring position with two outs before a strikeout ended the threat.

After another three-up, three-down inning from Suiter in the eighth, UTSAs Simmons was able to match the 1-2-3 frame with one of his own, setting the 1-2-3 hitters in the Tech lineup down in order.

In the ninth, Suiter struck out the side, to keep the Red Raider deficit to just two runs.

With Simmons pitch count rising above 50, the Tech bats were able scratch across just the one run on the Quintanar sac-fly.

The Red Raiders fell tonight for just the second time at home this season and for just the second time in the last 12 games. The Red Raiders were 9-1 at home this season before tonight's loss and were 10-1 in their last 11 contests.

UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders will look to rebound tomorrow night and split the series with the Roadrunners. First pitch for the finale of the two-game midweeks series is set for 6:30 p.m.