Texas Tech Athletics
West Virginia
No. 29 Texas Tech Wins Regular Season Finale, 8-2
May 16, 2015 | Baseball
Neslony went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI in the game-three victory.
May 16, 2015
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - No. 29 Texas Tech salvaged its three-game series at West Virginia with an 8-2 victory in game three on Saturday afternoon in front of 1,697 fans at Monongalia County Ballpark.
The Red Raiders (30-22, 13-11 Big 12) complete their regular season schedule with 30 wins and tied for third place in the Big 12 standings with Oklahoma. Tech has secured the 4-seed in the upcoming Big 12 Championship next week in Tulsa, Oklahoma, while beginning the league tournament on Wednesday, May 20 at 9 a.m. against the tournament 5-seed.
WVU completes its regular season with a 27-25 overall record and 9-13 mark in the Big 12 Conference.
Four Red Raiders had RBI base hits in a five-run third inning to erase an early two-run deficit to take a 5-2 lead. Junior outfielder Tyler Neslony went 3-for-5 with two RBI and junior designated hitter Cory Raley went 2-for-5 with a pair of runs and two RBI.
Junior left-handed pitcher Ty Damron (4-2) picked up the win in his first career road start going five innings allowing two runs - one earned - on five hits with a strikeout and two walks.
WVU starting pitcher B.J. Myers (2-5) took the loss allowing four runs (3 ER) on four hits with three strikeouts in 2.2 innings. The Mountaineers used seven right-handed pitchers in the contest.
Tech's five-run fifth consisted of an RBI single from Raley, a two-run double from freshman Tanner Gardner, an RBI double from Neslony and an RBI single up the middle from junior first baseman Eric Gutierrez.
Tech added a run in the fifth inning on Neslony's RBI single through the left side. Raley drove in a run with a triple down the right-field line in the sixth and freshman third baseman Michael Davis scored Tech's eighth and final run with an RBI single up the middle also in the sixth inning.
Junior right-handed pitcher Matt Withrow pitched three scoreless innings in relief allowing two hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Senior right-handed pitcher Dominic Moreno allowed a hit in the ninth but held WVU scoreless with a strikeout in the ninth.
Texas Tech will play the first game of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Wednesday, May 20 at 9 a.m. at ONEOK Field in Tulsa, Oklahoma against the No. 5 seed of the tournament - which has yet to be determined as of this afternoon.
TEXAS TECH VS. WEST VIRGINIA - ALL-TIME SERIES NOTES -
- Texas Tech leads West Virginia, 5-4, in the all-time series that dates back to 2013 ... WVU leads the series, 4-2, in games played in West Virginia ... WVU is 2-1 - both games played this year - against Tech in games played in Morgantown (Red Raiders played WVU in Charleston in 2013).
PLAYER NOTES -
- Ty Damron improved to 6-2 career.
- Ty Damron made his 11th start of the season (12th career) and his fourth career Big 12 start ... today marked his first career appearance against West Virginia and his first career road start.
- Ty Damron posted his seventh start this season pitching at least five innings.
- Cory Raley has reached base safely in 23 consecutive games.
- Cory Raley has a 14-game hit streak.
- Cory Raley has 18 multi-hit games this season - tied for the team lead (Neslony).
- Tyler Neslony notched his 18th multi-hit game of the season - tied for the team lead (Raley).
- Tyler Neslony posted his fourth game this season with at least three base hits.
- Tyler Neslony notched his sixth multiple RBI game of the season.
- Eric Gutierrez posted his team-leading 15th two-out RBI of the season.
- Eric Gutierrez has started in 174 straight games - spanning his entire three-year Tech career ... streak ranks him ninth among active players in NCAA Division I baseball.
- Bryant Burleson tallied his 700th career at-bat - he is one of only seven players in school history with at least 700 career at-bats and the first since 2013 (Scott LeJeune - 705).
- Bryant Burleson played in his 204th career game as a Red Raider ... is 1-of-4 players in school history with 200 career games played (Clint Bryant - 240 ... Taylor Ashby - 216 ... Madison Edwards - 212).
- Stephen Smith has reached base safely in 21 consecutive games.
- Stephen Smith started in his 100th career game.
- Matt Withrow posted his eight scoreless outing of the season.
- Matt Withrow threw three innings - his second most in a game this season (4.0 IP - vs. Oklahoma State - 4/26).
- Dominic Moreno tallied his 13th scoreless outing of the season ... five of his last six appearances have been scoreless.
