LUBBOCK, Texas – Tenth-ranked Texas Tech got the best of Sam Houston State in an afternoon doubleheader Wednesday, staving off a late Bearkat rally in an 8-6 win before teeing off for 14 hits, scoring in five different innings for a 20-3 victory.
With the pair of wins, Texas Tech (26-9) claimed all three games in the season series. The Bearkats (18-16), whose next non-conference action comes at Baylor next Tuesday at Baylor, are 3-6 against Big 12 programs, with all three wins coming against then-No. 25 Oklahoma.
The Bearkats' Bryce Johnson, who went 0 for 4, driving in an RBI in Game 1, failed to reach base for the first time in 47 games. The center fielder's streak began on April 25, 2015 at Oklahoma.
“This is an incredibly tough place to play,” second-year head coach Matt Deggs said. “Secondly, that's a World Series caliber ballclub over there. That's the best team we've played by far. They've got a really callus lineup, some veteran guys and can really pitch it. If you make a mistake on the bump, they will punish it.”
Sam Houston returns to Southland Conference action this weekend, visiting Incarnate Word on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The clubs will play Saturday at 3 p.m. and return for the Sunday finale at 1 o'clock. With rain and thunderstorms projected this weekend in San Antonio, fans are encouraged to stay tuned to GoBearkats.com for any potential schedule-altering changes.
GAME 1 RECAP:
The Bearkats utilized a one-run sixth and three-run seventh inning to climb back into the ballgame, but could not overcome three Texas Tech home runs, which staked the Red Raiders to a to an 8-2 lead after five innings.
Sam Houston jumped ahead in the first, scoring without a hit thanks to heads up base running from Mac Odom, who advanced to second on a wild pitch before stealing third, his first swiped bag of the season. He came home one hitter later on a Bryce Johnson groundout.
After Tech tied the game in the bottom half, the Bearkats re-took the lead in the third as Lance Miles lined a double down the left field line to lead off and advanced to third on a bunt single from Taylor Beene. Miles, who finished 2 for 3 with two runs, scoring on a Riley McKnight double play.
It did not take long for the Red Raiders to respond, pounding out four runs in the bottom half, thanks to a pair of home runs, tallying four of the squad's eight hits in the frame. The inning was the last full frame for starter Spence Rahm, who allowed eight runs and six hits while fanning six and walking four in 4 1-3 innings of work.
With a three spot in the fifth giving Tech some breathing room, the Bearkats chipped away in the sixth, adding a run on a wild pitch as Riley McKnight came in from third. The right fielder was successful in reaching on an error before stealing second and advancing to third on a groundout.
Sam Houston made it a two-run game in the sixth with strong play off the bench. Hunter Hearn took a 1-0 pitch to deep shortstop for a leadoff single and headed to third on a Miles single to right. After Matt Broadbent entered as a pinch hitter, the former Texas Tech player single to shallow center scoring Hearn.
Jaxxon Grisham took advantage of his pinch hitting role as well as freshman took the first pitch down the right-field line for a double to plate Miles. The third straight pinch hitter, Clayton Harp, grounded out to first, completing the job and scoring Broadbent to make it 8-6.
“I thought we competed well,” Deggs said. “We were in it to the very end. They used power and the long ball. That was kind of the story of the ballgame. We never could quite catch back up. I thought we strung some good at-bats together and played good defense.”
The Bearkats bullpen, which has developed a reputation for reliability, continued the trend. Miles Manning allowed two hits and a walk while fanning another in 2 1-3 innings, making way for Hayden Nixon, who held the Red Raiders scoreless in an inning and Greg Belton, who struck out his only hitter in 1-3 innings on the mound.
Texas Tech starter Erikson Lanning (2-3) picked up the win after allowing just two hits in five innings of work. Hayden Howard picked up his fourth save, tossing a perfect ninth inning. For Rahm, loss in his second career start, dropped the right-hander to 0-3 on the season.
GAME 2 RECAP:
Texas Tech scored in each of the first four innings, including a three-run third and five-run fourth, jumping out to an 11-0 advantage before the Bearkats were able to salvage a pair of runs in the fifth.
Red Raiders' left-fielder Tyler Neslony helped the home squad pour it on, hitting two home runs, coming in consecutive innings between the third and fourth frames. Sam Houston starting pitcher Cody Brown (0-4) went four-plus innings, permitting seven runs on eight hits while walking two and fanning another.
Offensively, the Bearkats were kept in check by Red Raiders' starter Ty Damron (3-1), who did not allow a hit until Hunter Hearn stepped to the plate in the fifth. In that frame, Matt Broadbent led off with a walk and moved to second on the Hearn single up the middle.
“We didn't get off to the start we needed to,” Deggs said. “Their lefty pitched extremely well. We got some guys out there that we needed to.”
With runners on first and second, Zach Smith cashed in, taking a 1-0 pitch to center for a single, scoring Broadbent. One hitter later, Barrett Koerselman, earning the start at designated hitter, recorded a fielder's choice RBI to make it 11-2.
Sam Houston freshman pitcher Colin Cameron lasted 1-3 innings in relief of Brown, allowing one hit and three runs while walking another. Despite the struggles on the mound, Dakota Mills came in and provided Sam Houston some stability in the middle innings.
The right-hander permitted just one hit and a run in three innings of work. Mills allowed three walks but struck out a season-high five hitters in his first appearance since March 22 against Prairie View A&M.
“I thought we had a couple of guys that needed to get out there, especially a guy like Dakota Mills,” Deggs said. “He went out there and that was the Dakota we knew we had. He threw the ball like he was capable of. Garrett Miller going out there for the first time ever on a Division I baseball field.”
The Red Raiders continued to pour it on in the seventh, scoring six runs to break away even further. In the frame, Sam Houston pitching walked four batters while Cody Farhat connected with a grand slam over the left-field fence to make it 20-2.
“It's hard to take anything away from a 20-3 loss but if you lose 20-3 or 3-2, it's still a loss,” Deggs said. “What we've got to do is stay on the bright side and stay looking at the positives. I saw some good stuff out of some guys. Clayton Harp had some good at-bats, Jaxxon Grisham had a big pinch-hit double and we were able to get everyone in the ballclub.”
In the ninth, Broadbent led off with a hit by pitch, eventually coming around to score on a Barrett Koerselman wall-ball double with two outs.
The Bearkats connected for just three hits, the fewest since tallying four in the season-opener at No. 6 Louisiana. Sam Houston's combined nine hits on the day also marked a season low for a two-game stretch.
“This is a tough stretch for us in the fact that you're coming into a top-10 teams' ballpark and we've got to sit on some pitching too because we have a big conference series coming up. We'll flush this and get re-focused to head down to UIW and continue to push to win this league.”
