No. 19 Tech Baseball Scores School Record 32 Runs, in 32-5 Victory Over Texas Southern

LUBBOCK, Texas – Powered by a record-setting day at the plate, and five strong innings from junior Kyle Robinson, No. 19 Texas Tech Baseball rolled past Texas Southern, 32-5 Friday afternoon in the 2024 home opener at Rip Griffin Park.

In the end, Texas Tech (4-2) scored a run in all but the second inning, as the Red Raiders scored a school record 32 runs on 24 hits. Every Red Raider who started the game in the lineup scored at least a run, as eight of nine starters drove in at least one run.

Robinson allowed just one hit and tied his career-high in strikeouts (eight), to earn his first win of the season.

Three Red Raiders drove in five or more runs, highlighted by freshman Landon Stripling, who went 5-for-7 with a pair of home runs and seven RBIs. The two long balls were the first two of his career. Stripling also made his first career start at first base in the win on Friday.

Tech catcher Kevin Bazzell also shined in the win, going 4-for-5 in just five innings of work. Bazzell doubled three times and drove in five runs before exiting for a pinch-runner.

And while Bazzell and Stripling did it in a starting role, outfielder Drew Woodcox did it after entering the game as pinch hitter in the sixth, going 2-for-3 with two home runs and five RBIs in just three innings.

Freshman TJ Pompey also had four hits in seven at-bats on Friday, scoring four times and driving in two runs.

The Red Raiders shrugged of an early 1-0 deficit in the home opener, as they quickly loaded the bases with nobody out in the home half of the first.

All three runners plus three more came around to score in the six-run first, as Tech used six walks and hit batter to do cause the majority of the damage off Texas Southern (2-4) starter Carlos Marquez. Marquez lasted just two-thirds of an inning in the game, allowing six runs (three earned) and five walks.

Armed with a 6-1 lead, Robinson cruised over the next four innings, allowing just a pair of walks over final four innings of his outing.

Robinson got plenty of run support on Friday, as Tech used three RBI doubles and a two-run single from Damian Bravo to take a commanding 12-1 lead.

After yet another scoreless frame in the fourth, Tech got an RBI double from Bazzell and a three-run blast from Stripling to pull ahead 16-1 after four. The homer was the freshman’s first of his career.

In the home half of the fifth, the Red Raiders recorded their third of four six-run innings, when Bazzell cleared the bases with a double, freshman Travis Sanders drove home a run and Stripling his second home run of the day. The homer was a two-run shot into the Tech bullpen, while the double was the first career hit for Sanders.

Texas Southern scored four of its five runs on the afternoon against lefty Hudson Luce, but Tech immediately answered with three more runs in the sixth to pull back in front 25-5 on an RBI double from Pompey and a towering two-run homer by Woodcox. Luce, who was strong in his Red Raider debut, allowed five hits in his inning of work.

After Trendan Parish threw a scoreless seventh, Tech used an RBI single from Pompey and a three-run bomb from Woodcox that clanged off the light pole and went over the Tigers bullpen to go ahead 31-5. Parish ultimately threw two scoreless innings allowing just one hit.

Heading to the eighth needing just one run to set the school record, freshman Davis Rivers dropped in an RBI double to record the school-record 32nd run. The knock was Rivers’ first career hit, double and RBI.

In the ninth Tech turned to lefty Taber Fast, who threw another scoreless frame to seal the win on opening day.

HC TIM TADLOCK:

On scoring 32 runs:
“Scoring that many runs really doesn’t mean anything. It just means you won the game. We’re just as happy winning a game 3-2 as we are today. We’re aspiring to play baseball at the highest level we can for each guy on our team. I don’t think we were even close to that no matter what the scoreboard said.”

On Robinson:
“I thought Kyle was better last week which is to be expected sometimes. When you go from Globe Life over there is a little bit of a lull the next week. Guys get a little bit amped up for opening weekend. He probably didn’t command the ball as well today as he would have liked to today, but guys that can pitch when they don’t have their best stuff find a way. And today he found a way.”

On Stripling:
“He swung the bat really good on Wednesday [against Oregon State] after coming off the bench on Tuesday I want to say. He had really good at-bats on Wednesday and I told him he needed to take their third baseman to dinner because he missed the pop-up and then he hit the double. There’s some of that involved. He had some hits and drove in seven, but usually when you have five hits there’s some luck go your way. But I was proud of the way he played today… Landon is a kid that played with a first round pick in high school named Colin Houck, he’s a shortstop. Landon has always hit. The other kid was a first round pick because he had a few more tools and played on the other side of the bag, but I think whenever you have someone who has grown up with a kid that good and hit as well as the other guy there’s something to be said for that. The district he played in, in high school is a very good district and a very good high school baseball team that is very competitive. You’re talking about his first start in the field today, and again there was definitely some good fortune in there but he’s a good baseball player, always has been.”

UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders will go for the series win on Saturday against Texas Southern. First pitch from Rip Griffin Park is set for 2 p.m. Sophomore Zane Petty is set to take the ball for the Red Raiders.

–TECH–

Release Provided By Andrew Stern Texas Tech Athletics