Nine Run Fourth, Petty’s Return to Form, Pushes No. 24 Tech past NMSU, 13-7

LUBBOCK, Texas – Behind a career-night sophomore from Zane Petty and nine-run fourth inning, No. 24 Texas Tech Baseball downed New Mexico State 13-7 Tuesday night at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.

In front of a crowd of over 4200, Texas Tech (12-4) got a career-high six innings pitched from sophomore Zane Petty while the other four sophomores in Tech’s lineup went a combined 9-for-17 with nine runs driven in and seven runs scored (Bravo, Burns, Lopez and Maxcey).

Petty allowed just six hits and three runs (two earned) striking out a career-high seven. Petty tossed 93 pitches and walked just one batter.

The righty got off to a strong start in the ballgame, as he fired a 1-2-3 first with some help from centerfielder Will Burns who raced deep into the right centerfield gap and robbed New Mexico State’s (9-7) Titus Dumitru of extra-bases when crashed into the wall for the Red Raiders second highlight reel catch in as many games.

The Red Raiders got a lead-off 425-foot double from Gavin Kash and ultimately loaded the bases on a walk and a hitter batter with two-outs, but NM State starter Cade Swenson got Landon Stripling to pop-out with the bases loaded.

After a scoreless second inning, the Aggies struck first on Tuesday on a two-out RBI single and an error at shortstop.

Down 2-0, Tech quickly responded in the home half of the third using a walk from Gavin Kash and a pair of singles from Burns and McGee to load the bases with nobody out.

Senior Austin Green plated the first run of the inning with an RBI ground out, while Damian Bravo tied the game on a sac-fly.

In a tie game, Petty needed just 11 pitches to get through a 1-2-3 fourth, allowing the Red Raiders to seize control of the game in the bottom of the fourth.

Freshman TJ Pompey walked to lead off the frame and prompted a pitching change from the Aggies, as they turned to junior Kade Benevidez. Benevidez did not record an out on Tuesday and allowed eight runs.

The first batter Benevidez faced was Tracer Lopez who laced an RBI triple down the left field line that plated Pompey from first. Lopez ultimately went 3-for-5 on Tuesday with three RBIs and two runs scored. The triple gave the Red Raiders the lead for good at 3-2.

One batter later, catcher Dylan Maxcey reached on an infield single to shortstop that plated Lopez and gave the Red Raiders a 4-2 lead.

A Kash single and a single by Burns gave the Red Raiders a 5-2 lead and brought up Cade McGee with runners on the corners. McGee ultimately walked on four pitches, bringing up Green, who like McGee, walked to plate the sixth run of the game for Tech.

The next batter up, Bravo, ripped a bases-clearing double through the shortstop hole and into left center. The double was Bravo’s nation-leading 14th of the season and gave Tech a 9-2 lead.

After a Stripling walk put a pair on base, Pompey plated two more runs that gave the Red Raiders an 11-2 lead. The RBIs for Pompey were his 25th and 26th of the season.

NM State added its third and final run off Petty in the top of the fifth on two-out double from Dumitru, but Petty responded with an eight-pitch strikeout of the Aggies leading hitter Nick Hale to escape the jam with an 11-3 lead. Entering the game in the top five in the country and hitting .439, Tech held Hale to just a pair of hits in five at-bats and without an RBI.

Petty ended his night with a strikeout to cap a 10-pitch perfect 1-2-3 inning in the sixth, allowing the Red Raiders to race ahead 13-3 in bottom of the sixth on a two-out two-run homer from Lopez.

NM State used a pair of runs in the seventh and eighth, but Cole Kasse struck out a pair to end the top of the eighth. Kasse struck out four in his inning and two thirds of work and did not allow a run.

In the ninth, NM State with two outs, loaded the bases, but lefty Max Huffling coaxed a first pitch flyout to center to seal the Red Raiders 12th win of the season.

UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders close out the five game homestand on Wednesday afternoon against the Aggies. First pitch from Rip Griffin Park is set for 2 p.m.

–TECH–

Release Provided By Andrew Stern Texas Tech Athletics