MANHATTAN, KS — The Texas Tech Red Raiders dropped a heartbreaker in Game 3 in the 9th inning to fall to Kansas State on Sunday, 5-4.
Despite a strong outing from starter Zane Petty and an early home run from Robin Villeneuve, Texas Tech was walked off 5-4 by Kansas State on Sunday afternoon at Tointon Family Stadium. The loss completed a three-game Big 12 series sweep for the Wildcats.
Leading 4-2 entering the bottom of the ninth, the Red Raiders (8-16, 4-5 Big 12) saw Kansas State (18-8, 8-4) score three runs, capped by a two-run walk-off single from Shintaro Inoue to seal the comeback.
Villeneuve opened the scoring with a two-run home run in the first inning, launching a 100-mph, 398-foot blast following a Damian Bravo double. It was Villeneuve’s fifth home run of the season.
Petty delivered a strong start, tossing five innings of two-hit ball while allowing just one run. The sophomore right-hander did not allow a hit until the fourth inning and struck out two.
The Red Raiders extended their lead to 3-0 in the third when Logan Hughes delivered an RBI single to plate catcher Dylan Maxcey. Hughes finished the game with his team-leading 29th RBI of the season.
Tech left 13 runners on base and went just 4-for-17 with runners in scoring position. The Red Raiders stranded the bases loaded in the fourth and two more in the fifth.
Kansas State trimmed the deficit to 3-2 in the sixth on a two-run home run by Keegan O’Connor off reliever Trendan Parish. The Wildcats would not score again until the ninth.
Texas Tech Baseball
(Credit: texastech.com)
Texas Tech tacked on a run in the seventh when Antonelli Savaterre, coming off the bench as a pinch hitter, singled home Hughes to make it 4-2.
Parish settled in after the home run, retiring six straight and working a clean eighth inning to preserve the two-run lead. The Red Raiders threatened in the top of the ninth but were unable to capitalize, stranding Tracer Lopez at second.
In the bottom of the ninth, Kansas State opened the inning with a double and a hit batter. A pinch-hit RBI double by Sam Flores cut the lead to 4-3, and a second hit batter loaded the bases. Texas Tech turned to left-hander Zach Crotchfelt, who got ahead of Inoue 0-2 before the Wildcats’ infielder ripped a walk-off two-run single through the right side to end the game.
Parish (1-3) was tagged with the loss, allowing three runs over 3.1 innings of relief.
UP NEXT:
Texas Tech will head to Frisco on Tuesday for a midweek matchup against Oklahoma at Riders Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
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