Ninth-inning wild pitch dooms No. 14 Texas Tech in road loss to Texas
AUSTIN — Dylan Maxcey started a ninth-inning rally Saturday in a Big 12 Conference game against Texas.
The freshman catcher was the catalyst by drawing a six-pitch walk, but the next two batters netted outs before Kevin Bazzell put the go-ahead run on first with a five-pitch base on balls.
The long sequence allowed Gavin Kash, who was 0-for-4 going into the at bat, a chance for redemption as he smacked a two-RBI single to right field to knot the contest 5-5.
But, for the second game in a row, the No. 14 Red Raiders suffered a loss as reliever Andrew Devine threw a wild pitch that allowed Porter Brown to score from third base and UT to escape with a 6-5 walk-off victory at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
UT reliever David Shaw, who was looking to earn his first-career save, was unable to do so despite getting two outs in in the ninth. The right-handed hurler walked Bazzell and was pulled in favor of Zane Morehouse with runners on first and second.
Austin Green drew a seven-pitch base on balls, setting up Kash for some late-game heroics with the bases loaded for Texas Tech (18-6, 2-3). Kash took advantage as he drove in two runs with two outs.
UT (17-7, 2-0) responded as Brown, who finished with two RBI, hit a leadoff double off TTU reliever Andrew Devine. Brown closed the gap to 90 feet, following a balk call on Devine, that led to Texas Tech coach Tim Tadlock switching to a five-man infield.
The strategy wasn’t enough as Devine threw a wild pitch, which allowed Porter to sprint down the third-base line and touch home plate to clinch the series for the Longhorns.
Tracer Lopez and Nolen Hester each finished with two hits, and one RBI apiece, in the Red Raiders loss. Owen Washburn drove in the other run.
Texas Tech, which dropped the series opener 6-2 on Friday, will look to avoid the sweep when it takes on UT in the 2:30 p.m. Sunday finale.
The Red Raiders were attempting to even the series Saturday.
On Friday, Brown reached base four times, including a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning that fueled Texas to series-opening victory.
set up a double play.
Softball
AUSTIN — For the second straight game, the Red Raiders dropped a one-run contest in Big 12 Conference.
After holding a 3-0 lead through four innings, Texas Tech gave up four in the final two en route to suffering a 4-3 loss Saturday to No. 8 Texas.
The Red Raiders (26-10), who are in the midst of their third two-game losing streak of the season, are looking to snap the skid when they take on Texas (29-5-1) in the series finale set for noon Sunday.
Texas Tech looked like they were going to even things up, after falling 3-2 in walk-off fashion on Friday night, as Ellie Bailey connected on a 3-2 pitch for a two-out, three-run home run in the top of the first. Bailey’s homer capped off a three-run, three-hit inning which proved to be all the offense the Red Raiders could muster the rest of the contest.
From there, the Red Raiders managed only three more hits over the game's next six innings.
Mac Morgan, who yielded the three earned runs, held Texas Tech scoreless over the next four innings as her offense figured things out.
And the Longhorns did as Reese Atwood. a freshman catcher, hit a solo home run to provide UT its first lead of the day in the sixth en route to the victory. It was the seventh home for Atwood, who leads the team in that category.
Tennis
Due to forecasted cold temperatures in the morning, both Texas Tech tennis teams will push back the start times for their home matches on Sunday at the McLeod Tennis Center.
The Lady Raiders are slated to host Kansas State at 11 a.m., while the Red Raiders welcome Middle Tennessee for a 2 p.m. matchup.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Ninth-inning wild pitch dooms No. 14 Texas Tech in road loss to Texas
