ARLINGTON, Texas — The No. 14 Texas Tech baseball team lost 13-2 to No. 15 Arizona, Sunday afternoon on the final day of the State Farm College Showdown at Globe Life Field. The Wildcats plated the game’s first five runs in the fifth and did not relinquish control for the remainder of the game.
Tech’s starter, Mason Molina, logged 4.0 innings in his freshman debut. Over the first four innings, Molina held Arizona scoreless while allowing one hit. He found trouble to start the top of the fifth, allowing back-to-back doubles to the Wildcats’ 8-9 hitters in the lineup. Relievers Andrew Devine and Jamie Hitt combined to finish the inning. In total, Arizona would jump on Tech for a home run, three doubles, a single and took advantage of a wild pitch and a balk to explode ahead.
Arizona went on to tack two more in the seventh, three in the eighth and three in the ninth. The Red Raiders used eight pitchers overall that collectively allowed 16 hits, eight being multi-base knocks of the variety of seven doubles and a home run.
The Red Raiders greatest offensive threats came in the fifth and sixth innings. Tech had a runner in scoring position for the first time in the game in the bottom half of the fifth after Dillon Carter walked with two outs to advance Dalton Porter, who picked up his first career hit with a one-out single. The momentum halted when Porter was picked off at third base that would have set up a loaded bases situation with the top of the lineup due up. Parker Kelly hit a grounder back to the pitcher who couldn’t field it cleanly, but fired to third for the out.
In the sixth, Ryan Brome registered a pinch-hit lead-off single for his career hit. His freshman counterpart Owen Washburn manufactured a walk, and Jace Jung fought back on a 0-2 count to walk as well to load the bases for a second consecutive inning. Stilwell hit into a fielder choice to plate Brome, while Porter hit a redeeming RBI single to score Washburn to wrap up Tech’s scoring in the inning, and in the game.
Porter, in his first start of the season, led Tech with two hits. Brome, Jung and Kelly accounted for the team’s other three hits.
Up Next
Texas Tech returns to Lubbock for its home opener on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. against Dallas Baptist.
