Tech Baseball Drops Baylor 11-8 In Series Opener
May 11, 2001 | Baseball
May 11, 2001
WACO, Texas - Junior Kerry Hodges knocked out two home runs and was one of three players to go 3 for 5 at the plate leading the Red Raiders to an 11-8 win over the Baylor Bears in the first game of a three-game series at the Baylor Ballpark before 3,559 fans.
With the win, Texas Tech is now 38-15-1 (18-9-1 Big 12) on the season and needs just one more win to seal the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament that begins next week in Oklahoma City. Baylor, with the loss, falls to 34-19 overall and 16-9 in league play.
Texas Tech opened up the scoring in the top of the second when Kerry Hodges hit a two-out triple to left-center field. Catcher Tony Arnerich drove in Hodges in the next at-bat when he hit a line drive triple to right field. Tyler Carson drove in the final run of the inning on single straight up the middle that plated Chad Landry.
Baylor took its only lead of the game in the bottom of the third scoring four runs on five hits and one Texas Tech error.
Jason Rainey put Tech in the lead for good in the top of the fourth when he hit his first career grand slam over the left-center field wall giving the Red Raiders an 8-4 advantage. Baylor pulled within two in the bottom of the fifth off an RBI double by Chris Durbin and an RBI single by Kelly Shoppach.
Junior right-hander Chad Ertel replaced Brandon Roberson in the bottom of the sixth and turned in a solid performance over the next 3.0 innings. Ertel scattered two runs on four hits and struckout two batters. Tech added three more insurance runs in the eighth and ninth innings including a two-out homer by Kerry Hodges, his second of the game, to give Tech an 11-7 cushion going into the bottom of the ninth.
Baylor's Chris Durbin led off the bottom of the ninth with a triple to right field and Kelly Shoppach drove him home in the next at-bat with an RBI double to left field. Senior closer Blake McGinley came in to relieve Chad Ertel and struck the next two batters and retired David Murphy on a ground out to end the game.
Brandon Roberson earned the win for Texas Tech and is now 12-3 on the season while Steven White suffered just his second loss of the season for Baylor and now stands at 10-2 on the year.
Texas Tech and Baylor will play game-two of the series on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Baylor Ballpark.