LUBBOCK, TX — Despite a 3-for-4 performance and a two-run home run from TJ Pompey, Texas Tech dropped its home opener to UC Irvine 6-4 on Friday afternoon at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park. It was a cold day in Lubbock. By the time the first pitch began the game, the temperature still ranged in the 30's.
"Tip your hat to Irvine. I thought they pitched really good out of the bullpen," Head Coach Tim Tadlock said after the game. "They outplayed us. Not that our [performance] wasn't good, they just outplayed us."
The Red Raiders (0-4) struggled in clutch situations, finishing 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and 1-for-14 with runners on base, allowing UC Irvine (3-2) to capitalize on key opportunities.
The Anteaters struck first with an RBI single from James Castagnola in the first, but Texas Tech quickly responded as Kyeler Thompson launched an eight-pitch leadoff home run—his first career homer as a Red Raider.
Texas Tech Baseball 2025
(South Plains LIVE! Photo/Ryan Chadwick)
Tech took a 2-1 lead in the second when Pompey scored on Thompson’s RBI groundout, but UC Irvine regained control in the third with a two-run triple from Jacob McCombs and another Castagnola RBI single, making it 3-2 Anteaters.
Pompey put Tech back on top in the third, crushing a 411-foot home run to left after a Tracer Lopez single, but UC Irvine answered again in the fourth with back-to-back RBI hits to reclaim the lead at 5-4.
A solo home run by McCombs in the fifth off Tyler Boudreau pushed UC Irvine’s advantage to 6-4, and Texas Tech struggled to capitalize on scoring chances the rest of the way.
Tech's loss came down to missed opportunities. The Red Raiders’ best chance came in the seventh inning when Damian Bravo singled, and Robin Villeneuve walked, putting the tying runs aboard with no outs. However, reliever Ricky Ojeda escaped the jam, inducing a fielder’s choice and a strikeout to keep UC Irvine in front.
Pompey led off the eighth with a double, but Texas Tech failed to bring him home as Ojeda retired the next three batters. The Red Raiders went down in order in the ninth, sealing the 6-4 loss.
Texas Tech (0-4) looks to even the series against UC Irvine on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Rip Griffin Park.
Subscribe to the LIVE! Daily
Required
Post a comment to this article here: