Andrew Devine earns first win, lineup continues success in 14-8 victory over Western Illinois
Kyle Robinson has all the tools to be a successful pitcher.
Listed at 6-foot-6, 210 pounds, Robinson has the frame and mix to be a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher.
The only missing component is the mental side, which can come back to preparation leading up to each start and may not have been seen in his first go-around of the season. He was pulled after giving up three earned and throwing 58 pitches in two innings against Gonzaga.
On Sunday, he showed improvement in that facet by giving up four runs in the second before returning to the mound and tossing two innings of scoreless ball — while the lineup scored eight in the third — as the No. 20 Red Raiders downed Western Illinois 14-8 to sweep the four-game series at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
"I thought he was really good in the first and the second, gets two outs and they string some good at-bats together," Texas Tech coach Tim Tadlock said when asked to compare Robinson's two starts. "There's times he throws his fastball with conviction, same thing with the breaking ball, same thing with the changeup.
"Really what you want him to do is execute pitches and pitch with some conviction, no matter what the outs are, no matter what the situation is. Young pitchers tend to do what you just saw. You get two outs, guy gets on. And what they can control is execute pitches."
With the victory, Texas Tech (8-0) remains the only undefeated team in the Big 12 Conference, but was challenged by the Leathernecks (1-7).
Robinson — who struck out four, allowed four earned runs and five hits in four innings — looked to be back in a familiar spot after giving up a crooked number in the second, but showed his resolve in his second start — which came about due to Bo Blessie being a late scratch.
"We'll see, we're just going to be day-to-day," Tadlock said of Blessie's status, noting the righty could be first in line if he's ready to go. "Just want to push him back a day. He was a little sore, first start. Felt like it was the right thing to do.
After giving up a a two-RBI triple to Nick Mitchell, the Vienna, Virginia, native struck out the next batter to end the threat. Mitchell went 1-for-5 with two RBI after coming into the contest with .621 average with five doubles, one triple, two home runs and seven RBI in the previous three contests.
"Oh no, he's (Kyle Robinson) a grinder," said Texas Tech right-handed pitcher Andrew Devine, who came on in relief in the seventh and earned his first victory after pitching two innings of scoreless and hitless ball. "He back in that dugout after each inning, sat down and was ready to go back out there.
"Not once gave in, not once I thought he let up. He's a battler. He knew his stuff was good. ... He knew that we were going to score and get him right back in there."
Robinson locked in and ensured he pitched with intent, whether it was a fastball or breaking ball thrown to the Western Illinois lineup.
Kyree Alexander singled to right field, which marked the first Leathernecks hit since the third inning. It was that kind of day for the Western Illinois lineup which saw success in the second and did not get much going after Robinson refocused on the Red Raiders relievers kept the momentum going.
That was until Max Slavens hit a ground-rule double over the left-field wall to score a run, cutting the deficit to 14-5 in the seventh. Slavens went 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Three batters later, the Leathernecks loaded bases — after Austin Green was unable to glove a grounder to the right side of second base — for Derek Botaletto with no outs. Botaletto, a left, sent a ball up the third-base line to clear the bases, closing the scoring gap to 14-8, and ended the day for TTU reliever Ryan Free after two innings.
After four runs, Tadlock called on Devine to end the threat. The righty walked the first batter before inducing a pop fly and a 6-4-3 double play to preserve the six-run advantage at 14-8.
Dillon Carter, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, ended the contest with a double play in which he caught a fly ball in center field and doubled up the Western Illinois runner at first base.
Austin Green and Hudson White each netted three RBI, while Gavin Kash drove in two runs while Gage Harrelson, Kevin Bazzell and Drew Woodcox tallied one RBI.
"So, there's no doubt he's probably the best centerfielder in all of college baseball," White said of Carter, following a weekend in which he went 9-for-14 with two home runs, two doubles, one triple and drove in seven runs while scoring seven runs. "This offseason, he worked his tail off. ... He just worked his butt off offensively and he's seeing the rewards for that now."
What's next: Texas Tech begins a two-game, midweek series with Air Force. The two squads begin with a 6:30 p.m. Tuesday contest at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
TEXAS TECH 14, WESTERN ILLINOIS 8
Gonzaga 040 000 400 — 8 9 1
Texas Tech 008 501 00x — 14 16 2
Aron Harrington, Jackson Burk (3), Cam Howard (3), Eric Cunning (5) and Adam Juran; Kyle Robinson, Ryan Free (5), Andrew Devine (7), Damian Bravo (9) and Hudson White. W — Andrew Devine (1-1). L — Harrington (0-1). 2B — Western Illinois, Derek Botaletto 1 (2), Adam Juan 1 (2), Max Slavens 1 (1); Texas Tech, Gage Harrelson 1 (4), Dillon Carter 1 (1). 3B — Western Illinois, Nick Mitchell 1 (2); Texas Tech, None. HR — Western Illinois, None; Texas Tech, Hudson White 1 (1), Dillon Carter 1 (2). Records: Western Illinois 1-7, Texas Tech 8-0.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Andrew Devine earns 1st win, Texas Tech lineup rakes in series sweep over Western Illinois
