No. 21 Tech drops Sunday finale at Oklahoma

Provided by Texas Tech Athletics

NORMAN, Okla. – No. 21 Texas Tech dropped its series finale to Oklahoma, 12-2, on Sunday at L. Dale Mitchell Park. It was an eight-inning run-rule win for the Sooners as the home team belted a two-run home run for the walk-off win to earn its first victory in a series that was claimed by the Red Raiders on Saturday.

The Red Raiders started strong, recording a pair of hits that helped score the first run of the game in the top of the first inning, but it was not until the top of the eighth that their second run crossed home plate. Tech manufactured nine hits, including five being multi-base hits.

It was hitting with runners in scoring position that plagued the Red Raiders on Sunday as they finished 0-for-9 in that department in the game. Through the first three innings alone, Tech was 0-for-7 hitting with runners in scoring position, and trailed 2-1, before moving to the bottom half of the third.

Tech left six on base on Sunday, three were runners left on third base in the second, third and fifth innings.

The Sooners scored five of their runs thanks to three home runs, which equated to their first three runs over the first three innings, and the last two that ended the game.

Jacob Rogers had a solid effort in his third career start. The freshman worked a season-long four innings and struck out six. Rogers doubled his single-game high of three strikeouts (March 1, vs. Air Force) and doubled his season total of six strikeouts recorded in 7 2/3 innings pitched in five career appearances entering the start. He allowed four hits, and two connected for home runs.

Gage Harrelson led Texas Tech with three hits. He went 3-for-4 which gave him eight hits on the weekend after recording a career-high four on Friday. The freshman leads the Red Raiders with 21 multi-hit games this season.

Kevin Bazzell joined Harrelson as the only other multi-hit performer on Sunday by going 2-for-4. A ground rule double kept a Texas Tech run from tying the game, 2-2, in the third inning when he smashed a ball into the 410-foot left-field corner. The ball took one hop before going over the wall, holding Nolen Hester at third base when he would have scored easily otherwise.

Up Next

Texas Tech returns home on Tuesday after a stretch of five games on the road that they finished 3-2 by splitting a series at No. 8 Stanford and won its Big 12 series, two games to one, at Oklahoma. Grand Canyon awaits the Red Raiders for a pair of midweek games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Game one of the series is Bark in the Park.