Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
8-4
Penn State
4-7
Tech doubles up Penn State 15-7
March 06, 2026 | Baseball
The Red Raiders used six first run innings to cruise to their eighth win in nine games
LUBBOCK, Texas – Kyeler Thompson went 4-for-5 with three runs scored in his return to lineup and scored three times, while Caden Ferraro and Robin Villeneuve each homered to propel Texas Tech to a 15-7 Friday night win over Penn State at an electric Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
In front of a near capacity crowd (4265), the Texas Tech (8-4) bats stayed hot, scoring 15 times and recording 17 hits reaching double-digit hits for the ninth-straight game.
The Red Raiders have now scored at least eight times in nine straight games.
After missing the weekend series with CSU Bakersfield due to injury, Thompson set the tone for the Red Raider offense as he reached base in both of his plate appearances during the decisive six-run bottom of the first that chased Penn State starter Connor Fitzpatrick after just two outs and 43 pitches.
Entering the game with just six total earned runs allowed in his first 15.1 innings and three starts, the Red Raiders tagged Fitzpatrick with six runs before the hard-throwing righty could even record an out.
The Red Raiders scored their first run on a 99 MPH double into the left-center field gap from Connor Shouse before Linkin Garcia plated two more runs on a two-RBI double down the right field line. Garcia drove in three runs in his 12th-career game bringing his season total to a team-best 23.
After a Caden Ferraro single back through the box plated Logan Hughes who walked, catcher Matt Quintanar provided the final big knock of the frame, ripping a double down the third base line that scored both Garcia and Ferraro to give Tech a 6-0 lead.
In the second, Penn State broke through for the first time when catcher Avery Smith hit a lead-off home run that cut the Red Raider lead to 6-1. The blast was Smith's first home run of the season.
Despite allowing the lead-off blast in the second, Tech starter Lukas Pirko found his rhythm retiring the next seven PSU batters he faced. In his fourth start of the season, Pirko went 4.2 innings and allowed eight hits and five runs. He walked three and struck out three and earned his first no-decision of the season.
After Pirko and PSU reliever Mason Horwat traded zeros in the second and third innings, the game went to fourth with Tech up 6-1.
In the fourth, Penn State cut the Tech lead to 6-2 on a one-out single, walk and an RBI double from SS Preston Yaucher that ticked off the glove of Shouse and kicked up the left field line.
With Smith on third and Yaucher on second, Pirko coaxed a grounder back to the mound. The pitcher calmly tossed to Robin Villeneuve who alertly noticed Yaucher broke for third and was hung up. The Canadian whipped a perfect throw to Garcia who tagged out Yaucher at third for the third out of the fourth.
Armed with the momentum, Tech used a one out double to center, a single from second baseman Tracer Lopez and an RBI groundout from Shouse to take a 7-2 lead.
In the top of the fifth, Penn State pulled to within 7-5 on a three-run 445-foot homer to dead center off the bat of third baseman Bryce Molinaro.
After a two-out infield single brought the tying run to the plate, freshman Jesse Ruisnek entered from the bullpen and used a ground out to strand the runner on base.
Rusinek tossed 1.1 innings of perfect relief to earn his first career win.
Needing to respond, the Red Raiders matched the PSU three-spot with three runs of their own. The big swing in the three-run bottom of the fifth was a two-RBI bases loaded double from Thompson.
Returning for the sixth, Rusinek set the Penn State side down in order to send the game to the bottom of the sixth with Tech on top 10-5.
In the sixth, a 434-foot blast to right-center from Ferraro gave Tech an 11-5 lead, before a scoreless top of the seventh from Jackson Burns sent to game to the home-half of the seventh with Tech on top 11-5.
Burns who started on Friday the first three weeks of the season, made his first career appearance out of the bullpen and did not allow a hit in his 18-pitch scoreless frame.
 After Tech scored two more runs to go up 13-5 in the bottom of the seventh on a bases loaded hit-by-pitch from Shouse and an RBI ground out from Garcia, Penn State used a two-RBI single from DH Michael Anderson to pull to within 13-7.
The Red Raiders immediately answered the PSU two-spot with two runs of their own, on back-to-back home runs from DH Davis Rivers and Villeneuve. The blast for Rivers was his third home run of the season while Villeneuve's blast was his team-leading fourth.
In the ninth, senior Jacob Rodgers tossed another 1-2-3 inning to send the Red Raiders to their eighth win of the season and eighth victory in the last nine games.
UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders will seek the series victory on Saturday afternoon in Game Two of the weekend series with Penn State. First pitch from Rip Griffin Park is set for 2 p.m.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rusinek, Jesse (1-0)
L: Colin Fitzgerald (1-3)
Batting:
2B: Preston Yaucher 1
HR: Bryce Molinaro 1 ; Avery Smith 1
RBI: Michael Anderson 2 ; Bryce Molinaro 3 ; Avery Smith 1 ; Preston Yaucher 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cohl Mercado 1 ; Michael Anderson 1 ; Bryce Molinaro 1 ; Justin Turcovski 2 ; Avery Smith 1 ; Maddox McDonald 1
Batting:
2B: Thompson, Kyeler 2 ; Shouse, Connor 1 ; Garcia, Linkin 1 ; Quintanar, Matt 2
HR: Ferraro, Caden 1 ; Rivers, Davis 1 ; Villeneuve, Robin 1
RBI: Thompson, Kyeler 2 ; Lopez, Tracer 1 ; Shouse, Connor 3 ; Garcia, Linkin 3 ; Ferraro, Caden 2 ; Quintanar, Matt 2 ; Rivers, Davis 1 ; Villeneuve, Robin 1
SF: Lopez, Tracer 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Thompson, Kyeler 3 ; Lopez, Tracer 1 ; Shouse, Connor 1 ; Hughes, Logan 1 ; Garcia, Linkin 1 ; Ferraro, Caden 2 ; Quintanar, Matt 1 ; Rivers, Davis 2 ; Villeneuve, Robin 3
SB: Thompson, Kyeler 1
HBP: Thompson, Kyeler 1 ; Shouse, Connor 1 ; Rivers, Davis 1
