Ninth inning heroics push Tech past Illinois

Friday, February 28

Las Vegas, Nev.

4 p.m. (CT)/2 p.m. (PT)

Texas Tech Athletics

2-5

Illinois

5-3

TEXAS TECH

ILLINOIS

Ninth inning heroics push Tech past Illinois

February 28, 2025 | Baseball

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Down by a run, Damian Bravo led-off the ninth to jumpstart a six-run ninth

By: Andrew Stern

LAS VEGAS – Sometimes it just takes a swing. Sometimes it just takes a moment.

Enter Damian Bravo in the top of the ninth.

Down by a run after a dropped pop-up in left, Texas Tech Baseball used a 420-foot lead-off home run from Bravo to kickstart a six-run ninth that pushed the Red Raiders past Illinois, 10-6 in the opening day of the Las Vegas Classic at the Las Vegas Ballpark.

After the Red Raiders (2-5) fell behind on the error in the bottom of the eighth, Bravo's homer to left-center turned the tide.

With the game tied at 5-all, Tech got back-to-back doubles from designated hitter Antonelli Savattere and first baseman Robin Villeneuve to jump in front 6-5. Villeneuve went 3-for-4 with three doubles, three runs scored and the go-ahead hit.

Following a deep flyout that advanced the Tennessee transfer to third, catcher Davis Rivers lifted a flyball that clipped off Illinois' (5-3) Vytas Valincius glove. The dropped flyball scored Villeneuve and put Rivers on second. In his second start of the season behind the plate, Rivers drove in four runs and doubled.

After a pitching change, infielder TJ Pompey singled home Rivers to give the Red Raiders an 8-5 lead.

Armed with a three-run lead, the Red Raiders used a sac-bunt and a two-run single by outfielder Kyeler Thompson to cap the six-run explosion. Thompson went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, a run scored and a walk.

In the bottom of the ninth, Tech turned to reliever JT Drake, who worked around a pair of soft singles to hold the Illini to just one run.

After a 30-pitch top of the first that gave Tech a 1-0 lead, sophomore Mac Heuer retired the Illinois side in order in the bottom of the first.

Illinois tied the game in the bottom of the second on an RBI triple from Coltin Quagliano, but Tech used doubles from Villeneuve and Rivers to race back in front 2-1.

In the bottom of the third, it was Illinois turn to punch back, as a key double steal after a lead-off walk and a single gave the Illini a 3-2 lead. Despite relinquishing the lead, the Red Raiders seized a bit of momentum when in relief, Jack Cebert, won a five-pitch battle with Quagliano to end the frame.

Needing a response, Tech immediately did just that, when a one-out walk and a well-timed hit-and-run infield single placed runners on the corners with one-out for Savattere.

Even in the count 1-1, the Odessa College product lifted a sac-fly to centerfield that plated Thompson and tied the game at three.

With the game, tied, Cebert rode the momentum from the third to fire a 1-2-3 fourth and a scoreless fifth. Cebert finished with four punchouts in 2.1 scoreless.

In the sixth in a 3-3 game, Illinois used a lead-off walk, a wild pitch and single up the middle to take a 4-3 lead to the seventh.

Following another lead-off double from Villeneuve and a wild pitch placed the tying run on first with one out, the Red Raiders used a 3-0 RBI groundout from Rivers to tie the game at four.

The game remained 4-4 until the bottom of the eighth, when Illinois used the two out error to race ahead 5-4.

Behind the six-run frame and strong pitching from Drake, the Red Raiders closed out the 10-6 win on Friday afternoon.

UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders will play their second game of the Las Vegas Baseball Classic on Saturday night when they face No. 15 Texas. First pitch from the Las Vegas Ballpark is set for 6 p.m. (CT)/4 p.m. (PT).