Tech drops one-run heartbreaker to Cincinnati, 6-5

Wednesday, May 21

Arlington, Texas

12:30 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

20-33

8th-Seeded Cincinnati

32-23

Texas Tech

Cincinnati

Tech drops one-run heartbreaker to Cincinnati, 6-5

May 21, 2025 | Baseball

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The Red Raiders saw their season end in Arlington Wednesday

By: Andrew Stern

ARLINGTON, Texas – Texas Tech Baseball saw its season come to an end on Wednesday afternoon in a 6-5 loss to Cincinnati in the opening round of the 2025 Big 12 Championship hosted by the Big 12 Conference and REV Entertainment at Globe Life Field.

Facing deficits of 4-1 and 6-3, Texas Tech (20-33) got to within 6-5 and placed the tying run on-base in both the eighth and ninth innings before coming up just a run short in what turned out to be the Red Raiders 10th one-run loss of the season.

In the setback, Senior Robin Villeneuve went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an RBI double, while classmate Jack Cebert tossed five innings of three run (two earned) ball in his 19th and final appearance of the season. He struck out six batters.

Villeneuve closed his first season in Lubbock with 31 extra-base hits (18 doubles, 12 home runs and a triple), 49 RBIs and hitting .365.

After going down in order in their half of the first and second innings, Tech saw Cincinnati (32-23) use a two out single from centerfielder Derrick Pitts to take a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the third, the Red Raiders were finally able to scratch a run across against Bearcat starter, Nathan Taylor, when catcher Davis Rivers led off the second with a double and advanced to third on a single by Peyton Schulze.

With runners on the corners and nobody out, the Red Raiders got an RBI groundout from freshman Coleman Ryan to tie the game at one.

After back-to-back walks to Tracer Lopez and Kyeler Thompson loaded the bases with one out, Taylor got Logan Hughes to foul out and struck out Damian Bravo to strand the Red Raiders threat.

In the setback, Hughes took an 0-for-4 despite hitting three 105 MPH lineouts, two to left and one to center. He did however work a walk in the eighth inning to extend his season on-base streak to 39-straight games.

With new life and facing the top of the order, Heuer fell behind Big 12 Player of the Year Kerrington Cross 2-1 before getting the infielder to send a pop-up down the right field line.

The ball clipped off Lopez glove and fell in fair territory for a three-base lead-off error.

Cincinnati took advantage of its opening using a go-ahead triple from catcher Jack Natili, a sac-fly from first baseman Quinton Coats and an RBI ground out from Pitts to take a 4-1 lead.

The game remained 4-1 Cincinnati until the top of the sixth, when the Red Raiders used a solo, 430-foot home run from Villeneuve to cut the UC lead to 4-2. The long ball was Villeneuve's 12th of the season and left the Canadians bat at 109.7 MPH.

With a runner on third base and Cross at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Cebert coaxed what should have been an inning-ending grounder, but Schulze's throw at third sailed over the head of Villeneuve and plated another run that gave Cincinnati a 5-2 lead.

In the top of the seventh, the Red Raiders answered the UC run in the sixth, when with two outs, Lopez split the gap in left field to score Ryan from first base. The RBI two-base hit cut the UC lead to 5-3.

After the Bearcats used a one-out solo home run from Coats to back in front by three-runs (6-3), the Red Raiders used a lead-off walk by Hughes and a one-out double from Villeneuve down the third baseline to get to within 6-4.

With Villeneuve at third and two outs, Tech got a pinch-hit single from Dylan Maxcey to pull to within 6-5.

Turning to Lukas Pirko for the eighth, the Red Raiders got a scoreless eighth from the sophomore to keep the game within a one-run margin heading to the ninth.

After Cincinnati's Kellan O'Connor retired the first two batters on a strike out and a ground out, the Red Raiders got a momentary reprieve when Thompson down to his last strike legged out an infield single.

The hit placed the tying run on base for Hughes, who lofted a 106.1 MPH line drive to the warning track in left for the final out of the game.

In the setback, The Red Raiders out-hit UC 8-7, but were ultimately done in by 12 strikeouts.