LUBBOCK, Texas — No. 7 Texas Tech rattled West Virginia’s bullpen for seven runs during an 8-5 win Saturday in the rubber game of their weekend series.
After two runs tightened things up in the ninth, West Virginia (10-14, 1-5) had the bases loaded when Ivan Gonzalez grounded into a game-ending double-play. That capped a rough day for the catcher who went 0-for-4 and committed two throwing errors.
The Red Raiders (23-6, 3-3) rebounded to win the last two games after being shutout in Thursday’s opener.
Texas Tech didn’t do much against Kade Strowd, but Grant Little’s two-run homer off reliever Shane Ennis tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth.
“They did a good job in the first game minimizing us in the middle of the order, but the last two days we got things going,” Little said. “I faced (Ennis) on Friday so I kind of knew the stuff he had and what he was trying to do.”
After an errant Gonzalez pickoff throw put Texas Tech ahead for good, Ennis (3-2) was charged with another run when Cody Farhat’s RBI single made it 5-3.
In the seventh, San Kessler allowed two runners to reach before Michael Davis launched his eighth homer of the season, a towering three-run shot to center off Braden Zarbnisky.
“He left a change-up up and I just got into it,” Davis said.
Those insurance runs proved handy in the ninth when Isaiah Kearns hit an RBI single and Zarbnisky coaxed a bases-loaded walk. But Ty Harpenau earned his first save by retiring Gonzalez on an up-the-middle chopper that turned into a 6-3 double play.