Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
Texas
Red Raiders Rally To Win 11-9
April 15, 2000 | Baseball
April 15, 2000
In dramatic fashion, the Texas Tech Red Raiders evened their three-game series with the Texas Longhorns on Saturday afternoon with a 11-9 come-from-behind victory. In front of 5,124 fans, the fourth-largest crowd in Dan Law Field history, Tech rallied from an 8-1 deficit with five runs in the bottom of the eighth to give the Red Raiders their 10th win in the last 14 Big 12 games.
Texas jumped out to an early lead off Red Raider starter Cory Metzler. After three innings, the Longhorns lead 7-1. In the five-run third inning, Texas sent nine batters to the plate. First baseman Jeff Ontiveros blasted his 10th home run of the season to highlight the inning for the Longhorns.
After Texas added a run in the top of the fourth to make the game 8-1, the Red Raiders scored one in fourth, three in the fifth and one in the sixth to close the gap to 8-6. Relief pitchers Blake McGinley and Kevin Tracey held the Longhorns to just one run on three hits over the final 3.2 innings to keep Tech in the game.
In the bottom of the eighth, Tech scored all five runs after Texas pitcher Charlie Thames retired the first two batters. With two outs, Scott Holzhauer and Marco Cunningham recorded back-to-back walks followed by a Chaz Eiguren single to right to load the bases. The Red Raiders took the lead one batter later on a grand slam by Chad Landry. After Landry's grand slam to left center, Jason Rainey followed suit with his second home run of the day over the leftfield wall. Rainey lead off the second inning with a solo home run to rightfield.
In the Texas half of the ninth, Chris Houser started the inning with a double and scored on a Sam Anderson single to make the score 11-9. With a 2-0 count on Mike Pumo, Texas Tech head coach Larry Hays brought in Tracey from the bullpen. Tracey induced a groundout to second and sealed the win for Tech.
McGinley was credited with his third win of the season after allowing one run on three hits, a walk and three strikeouts over 3.1 relief innings of work. Thames lost for the first time this season after giving up five runs on three hits, four walks and a strikeout in 2.1 innings.
The finale of the three-game series will be Sunday afternoon at Dan Law Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
