Texas Tech Athletics
Kansas State
No. 19 Texas Tech Evens Series with K-State
April 18, 2015 | Baseball
Smith won his team-leading fifth game while pitching 8.1 scoreless innings.
April 18, 2015
MANHATTAN, Kan. - No. 19 Texas Tech evened its Big 12 series with K-State with a 7-1 victory, led by 8.1 shutout innings from left-handed pitcher Cameron Smith, in game two on Saturday afternoon in front of 2,864 fans at Tointon Family Stadium.
Texas Tech (24-15, 8-6 Big 12) has won five of its last six games while starting Big 12 play with its best record since 2004.
Smith (5-2) allowed only two base runners to reach scoring position in 8.1 scoreless innings while allowing four hits and two walks with six strikeouts. He retired 11 consecutive batters from the first-to-fifth inning and had at least one strikeout in each of the first five frames.
K-State starter Brandon Courville (0-4) took the loss allowing six runs in 2.1 innings on four hits with three strikeouts and four walks.
Tech scored four runs in the first - sparked by junior shortstop Cory Raley's second home run of the season, a three-run homer over the left-center field wall with two outs giving Tech a 4-0 lead. Junior first baseman Eric Gutierrez drove in Tech's first run of the game with an RBI single to left field.
The Red Raiders struck two innings later to take a 7-0 lead after freshman third baseman Orlando Garcia's two-run triple down the right-field line, and sophomore catcher Tyler Floyd's solo homer over the left-field wall with two outs.
Five of Tech's seven RBI came with two outs while the Red Raiders batted .375 (6-for-16) with runners on base and tallied five two-out base hits.
Smith, meanwhile, kept K-State off the bases while retiring seven batters in a row from the sixth-to-eighth inning. He was removed from the game after getting the leadoff out in the ninth.
Raley went 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI, junior outfielder Tyler Neslony matched a career-high two doubles while scoring a run with a walk and Floyd finished 2-for-4. In addition, sophomore outfielder Stephen Smith went 2-for-5 with a pair of singles.
Texas Tech and K-State will play the rubber game of the series on Sunday, April 19 at 1 p.m. at Tointon Family Stadium. The game will be televised on FOX College Sports - Central.
NOTES:
- Texas Tech leads K-State in the all-time series, 32-26-1, and trails the Wildcats, 12-16, all-time in games played in Manhattan ... Tech snapped an eight-game losing streak to K-State in Manhattan, a streak that dates back to 2009 ... Tech improved to 5-4 in the middle game of a three-game Big 12 series against K-State in Manhattan.
- Texas Tech is 12-9 in Big 12 series middle games under third-year head coach Tim Tadlock.
- Texas Tech recorded its most base hits (11) in a Big 12 road game this season.
- Texas Tech has homered in eight consecutive games (10 HR) for the first time since 2002.
- Texas Tech hit multiple home runs in a game for the eighth time this season ... Red Raiders are 6-2 in those games.
- Texas Tech has hit 30 home runs in 39 games this season ... Red Raiders hit their 30th home run in their 59th game last season.
- Texas Tech marked its 10th game this season without committing an error. - Texas Tech posted its NCAA-leading 48th double play of the season with a 6-4-3 DP in the fifth inning.
- Texas Tech held its opponent to one run or fewer for the seventh time this season ... Four of those were starts by Cameron Smith.
- Texas Tech improved to 11-2 in starts by Cameron Smith during his two-year career.
- Texas Tech is now 25-10 during Cameron Smith's 35 career appearances.
- Cameron Smith improved to 13-5 during his Tech career - he is now 30-9 during his collegiate career which includes two seasons at New Mexico JC.
- Cameron Smith made his ninth consecutive start pitching at least five innings.
- Cameron Smith has made three scoreless starts this season (4th career).
- Cameron Smith career vs. K-State: 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 APP, 2 GS, 13.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 11 SO, .114 OPP BA.
- Cameron Smith ranks sixth in school history in career ERA (2.60) ... his 2.60 ERA ranks fourth at Tech during the aluminum bat era (since 1974).
- Tyler Neslony has reached base safely in 20 consecutive games.
- Stephen Smith has 10 multi-hit games this season (23rd career).
- Eric Gutierrez has started in 161 straight games - spanning his entire three-year Tech career.
- Eric Gutierrez has a 13-game hit streak ... batting .400 (18-for-45) during streak with eight runs, three doubles, 10 RBI, 12 walks.
- Eric Gutierrez has reached base safely in 16 consecutive games.
- Orlando Garcia has a seven-game hit streak.
