Texas Tech Drops UTRGV 11-6 to Send Tadlock to Win No. 450

LUBBOCK, Texas – Josh Sanders bounced-back with 2.1 scoreless innings to earn his fourth victory of the season, while the Red Raiders bats exploded for four home runs on Tuesday night, to defeat UTRGV, 11-6 at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.

With the victory, Texas Tech (30-17) head coach Tim Tadlock earned his 450th career win as he guided his Red Raiders to 30 victories for the 10th straight season (excluding the 2020 season that was canceled after 19 games due to the COVID-19 Pandemic).

The win for Texas Tech also snapped a four-game losing streak and gets the Red Raiders through midweek baseball with an overall record of 8-4. Three of the four midweek losses were to then-ranked No. 7 Oregon State (10-4, Feb. 21) in Arlington and at Arkansas (9-8, 5-4; Apr. 16-17).

In the win, three different Red Raiders had a pair of hits including first baseman Gavin Kash who homered in his first two plate appearances of the night.

The first Kash bomb traveled 372 feet to left, while the second blast traveled 396 feet and left the bat at 103 MPH. With the two long balls, Kash recorded home runs 37 and 38 for his career. Kash moved out of a tie with Eric Gutierrez for ninth on the all-time list into solo seventh.

In doing so, Kash also leapfrogged Dion Ruecker and John Grimes, and now needs just six home runs to tie Clint Bryant home run record of 44.

Kash, who also needs just two homers to join the illustrious 40 home run club, would become the fifth Red Raider to homer 40 times in a career joining Bryant (1993-96; 44), Josh Bard (1997-99; 43), Joe Dillion (43; 1996-97) and Mike Humphreys (1985-88; 41) if he can reach that mark.

Kash’s muti-home run game was the second this season (Apr. 10) and his eighth of his career.

The Red Raiders also got key home runs from designated hitter Davis Rivers and third baseman Cade McGee. Rivers’ long-ball quickly erased a 2-1 UTRGV (21-19) lead and traveled 447 feet, while McGee’s blast in the fourth traveled 427 feet and gave Tech a 5-4 lead.

UTRGV struck first on Tuesday night using an RBI base hit and 6-4-3 double play with runners on the corners and nobody out to take a 2-0 lead.

After Kash’s first home run brought the Red Raiders to within 2-1, starter Zach Erdman fired a 1-2-3 second.

The Red Raiders tied the game with one out in the second on Rivers’ second-career home run that cleared the batters eye in center.

In a 2-2 game, UTRGV plated an unearned run in the third inning when Easton Moomau singled with two outs and advanced to second a fielding error by Drew Woodcox. On the very next pitch, first baseman Martin Vaquez ripped a double down the third base line that scored Moomau from second.

With two outs in the home half of the third, the Red Raiders used the second homer of the night from Kash down the right field line to tie the game at three.

UTRGV used a leadoff home run from second baseman CJ Valdez to take a 4-3 lead in the fourth, but McGee’s two-run blast quickly gave the Red Raiders a 5-4 lead. The home run plated Rivers for the second of the three runs he would score on the night.

Armed with the lead, Isiah Rhodes walked Moomau on four pitches and allowed a two-run blast from Martin Vazquez that put UTRGV on top again, 6-5.

Brendan Lysik emerged from the bullpen and needed just nine pitches to retire the next three Vaqueros in order.

Damian Bravo led off the home half of the fifth with a triple and later scored on a sac-fly from catcher Kevin Bazzell. The flyout tied the game at six-all.

Returning for a second inning, Lysik made it five-up and five-down, recording the first two outs before a pair of walks sandwiched between a hit-batter loaded the bases with two outs.

The Red Raiders turned to Sanders who stranded all three runners on a ground out from Vazquez.

In a 6-6 game, McGee was hit by UTRGVs Tyler Davis to lead-off the sixth. The infielder scored from first two batters later on a double from Gage Harrelson that split the outfielders and went to the wall. The double gave the Red Raiders the lead for good at 7-6.

With runners on first and second and one out, an error from UTRGV plated the Red Raiders eighth run of the night before a sac-fly from Bravo put the Red Raiders on top, 9-6.

In the seventh, Sanders worked around a two-out single to send the game to the bottom of the seventh. In that frame, the Red Raiders added another insurance run on two walks, a hit by pitch and a wild pitched.

Armed with a 10-6 lead, Sanders again worked around a two-out base runner to fire a scoreless eighth. In the bottom of the eighth, Tech used four walks, the final from McGee, to plate the 11th and final run.

In the ninth, Jacob Rogers retired two of the first three baters before a single extended the game. With runners on first and second, Bazzell successfully caught Valdez leaning off first to secure the Red Raiders 30th victory of the season.

UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders close out the home portion of the 2024 season when No. 22 Oklahoma pays a visit to Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park. First pitch on Friday is set for 6:30 p.m. with the final two games of the series set for 2 p.m. starts.

–TECH–

Release Provided By Andrew Stern Texas Tech Athletics