Texas Tech University Athletics
Fast start powers Tech to season sweep of ACU
April 22, 2026 | Baseball
The Red Raiders raced out to a first inning 5-0 lead to win their ninth-straight against the Wildcats
ABILENE, Texas – Catcher Matt Quintanar launched a three-run homer and later drove in two more on a single to push Texas Tech to a 9-1 win Wednesday over ACU at Crutcher Scott Ballpark.
In his first career start on the mound, Texas Tech (21-19) two-way player Connor Shouse tossed two scoreless innings with three punchouts to earn his first career win.
Shouse has now whiffed 11 batters in just 6.1 innings of work. Starting with Shouse, the Red Raiders arms combined to allow just seven hits and one run while striking out 11.Â
At the plate, Kyeler Thompson went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and two stolen bases. He scored the game's first run on an RBI double from Tracer Lopez. The double was Lopez's team-leading 16th of the season. The infielder also scored twice to record his 161st and 162nd career runs to move into solo 10th-place on the all-time runs scored list.Â
Armed with a 5-0 lead after the double from Lopez, an RBI single from Garcia and the three-run blast from Quintanar, Shouse tossed a scoreless inning in the first, working around a two-out single.
After the Red Raiders saw Thompson erased on a line-drive double play to first, Shouse used two punchouts to put two outs on the board.
With a runner on first, Shouse bounced a breaking ball that ACUs (19-21) JT Thompson was gunned down by Quintanar on.
With the two sides trading zeros into the fifth, ACU used a back-to-back one out hits from Zandt Payne (double) and an RBI single from Diego Cardenas to cut the Tech lead to 5-1.
After a single put runners on first and second
The back-to-back hits proved to be the end of the line for reliever Donavan Becerra who tossed 2.1 innings of one-run ball. Becerra struck out four and walked just one.
With two runners on with just one out after another hit by ACU, Tech turned to southpaw Jorden Espinoza who stranded both runners on a strikeout and a basket catch from Robin Villneuve down the first base line. Â
Espinoza tossed 1.2 hitless innings in relief of both Shouse and Becerra.
The game remained 5-1 Tech until the top of the seventh when the Red Raiders used a wild pitch and the two-run single from Quintanar to race out to an 8-1 lead.
After a 1-2-3 inning from righty Logan Bevis in the seventh, Tech used an RBI single from Logan Hughes that scored Thompson who singled, stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball before coming around to score on the single from Hughes.
Following another 1-2-3 inning from Bevis, the Red Raiders turned to freshman Jake Spindler in the bottom of the ninth.
Making his first appearance since Feb. 20 against UAlbany, Spinder worked around a one-out walk by striking out back-to-back hitters to seal the Red Raiders second-straight win overall and ninth-straight victory over ACU.
UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders return home for a weekend series with Oklahoma State this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Due to the George Strait concert on campus first pitch for all three games of the series is set for 1 p.m.
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