Tech drops Sunday rubber match to No. 17 WVU

Sunday, April 12

1 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

20-15, 6-9

No. 17 West Virginia

24-8, 10-5

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
West Virginia	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	4	0	10	18	0
Texas Tech	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	X	2	8	0

Texas Tech OF Jesse Rusinek takes a swing during the Red Raiders Sunday contest against No. 17 WVU

Tech drops Sunday rubber match to No. 17 WVU

April 12, 2026 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

The Red Raiders went 0-12 with runners in scoring position in the setback

By: Andrew Stern

LUBBOCK, Texas – Down just 3-1 heading to the eighth, Texas Tech Baseball saw No. 17 West Virginia score seven times in the final two innings in Sunday's 10-2 loss at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.

In the setback, Texas Tech (20-15, 6-9 Big 12) went 0-12 with runners in scoring position and were just 3-for-18 with runners on base.

Turning to true freshman Adam Hayes for the first weekend start of his career, the Red Raiders fell behind 2-0 early, as No. 17 WVU (24-8, 10-5 Big 12) used a lead-off double from shortstop Matt Ineich, a run-scoring triple from Paul Schoenfeld and an RBI infield hit from DH Sean Smith to strike first.

With two out and nobody on, the Red Raiders got a walk form Connor Shouse and a hit from Logan Hughes to place the tying runs in scoring position with two outs.

Tech's next batter, infielder Linkin Garcia worked the count full against starter Chasen Cole before striking out.

Cole ultimately tossed eight innings of two-run ball and allowed eight hits. He walked just two and struck out four.

In the top of the second, WVU used a lead-off double from Armani Guzman and back-to-back productive outs to take a 3-0 lead.

Looking to swing the momentum in their half of the second, Tech got a one-out single from Tracer Lopez and used a wild pitch to place a runner in scoring position with one out, but back-to-back groundouts allowed Cole to fire a zero.

With Adam Hayes settling in, the Red Raiders again threatened in the third when Jesse Rusinek doubled to lead off the frame and advanced to third with one out.

Ahead in the count (2-1) and Ruisnek at third, Shouse ripped a ground ball to WVUs Tyrus Hall. In one clean motion, Hall whipped a perfect throw to the plate that beat Ruisnek in a bang-bang play. The play at the plate helped Cole and the Mountaineers escape another jam.

Following a scoreless fourth and final inning from Hayes, the Red Raiders again put the lead-off man on when Linkin Garcia single to lead-off the fourth.

In his first career weekend start the Colorado native went four innings and allowed nine hits and three runs. He did not walk or strikeout a batter and threw just 54 pitches.

After Garcia was erased on a 6-4 fielders choice, a Lopez single again placed two runners on with one out, but back-to-back grounders ended the Tech threat again.

The game remained 3-0 WVU until the bottom of the sixth, when the Red Raiders finally dented the scoreboard on a deep sac-fly from Lopez. The sac-fly, Lopez's seventh of the season scored Garcia from third.

After the fifth-straight scoreless inning combined from Hayes and reliever Connor Mohan, the Red Raiders again placed Rusinek in scoring position with one out this time for Caden Ferraro.

On the third pitch Ferraro saw from Cole, and batting as the tying run, Ferraro crushed a 104 MPH 404-foot liner to center that was caught at the wall by WVUs Schoenfeld for a key second out.

Cross eventually struck out Shouse to strand a runner in scoring position for the fifth time in the first seven innings.

WVU ultimately pulled away using three runs in the eighth and four in the ninth to seal the series win over the Red Raiders for the first time in Lubbock in the series history. The Red Raiders entered the weekend 5-0 all-time in series at home against WVU.

UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders kick off a busy five-game week with a Tuesday night contest in Abilene against ACU. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m.