No. 14 Tech Caps Opening Day With 5-2 Win Over MSU

Friday, February 17

Starkville, MS

5 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

2-0

Mississippi State

0-1

Texas Tech

Mississippi State

No. 14 Tech Caps Opening Day With 5-2 Win Over MSU

February 18, 2017 | Baseball

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The Red Raiders go 2-0 on Opening Day after picking up a 5-2 victory over Mississippi State.

STARKVILLE, Miss. – No. 14 Texas Tech completed its Opening Day doubleheader with a 5-2 win in front of Mississippi State's largest season opener crowd ever on Friday, Feb. 17, taking down the Bulldogs in front of 10,217 people at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-DeMent Stadium.

The Red Raiders (2-0) defeated Western Illinois (0-1), 15-1, earlier in the day in their first game of the year. Tech's game against the Bulldogs was the first true home/road matchup between the two programs and improved the Red Raiders to 3-0 all-time against MSU.

Sophomore left-hander Steven Gingery was tabbed for the game two start, recording a terrific seven inning performance, featuring eight strikeouts, four hits and just one run. It was the third time in his career he's tossed 7.0 innings in a game and first in a non-conference tilt.

Just like in game one of the day, Tech drew first blood, again coming in the second inning. Junior designed hitter Zach Rheams, who worked the count full and then fouled off several pitches to stay in, reached on a catcher's interference call for Tech's first baserunner of the night. Freshman catcher Michael Berglund fulfilled the error by lining a double down the right field line into the corner of the park, scoring Rheams from first to put the Red Raiders up, 1-0.

Gingery posted his first of two shutdown innings in the bottom of the second behind two fly outs and a strikeout. His second would come in the fourth, which featured two strikeouts and a grounder after Tech's four-run top of the frame.

However, the Bulldogs would tie the game at one in the bottom of the third, as MSU's Luke Alexander essentially copied Berglund's base hit, but roped it to the opposite corner in left, driving in Jake Mangum for the run. It would be the only run Mississippi State would score until the eighth inning.

The Red Raiders responded in the top of the fourth with back-to-back base hits from junior outfielder Tanner Gardner (single) and senior infielder Hunter Hargrove (double). Freshman infielder Josh Jung smashed a bases-clearing double to right to break the tie and go ahead, 3-1. Berglund would follow with a walk, which signaled the end of the night for MSU's starter, Konnor Pilkington, who was charged with five runs on four hits. Jung and Berglund crossed the plate two batters later thanks to junior infielder Orlando Garcia's triple in the right field gap, pushing Tech to 5-1 lead.

Gingery's final frame was a quick nine-pitch affair, picking up swinging strikeouts to all three batters to wrap up his day. The last two innings were not without some theatrics, as the Bulldogs were able to load the bases in both, with opportunities to tie the game. With the bases juiced and junior lefty Parker Mushinski on the mound, MSU's Alexander roped a single to left field, but sophomore Cody Farhat, who replaced freshman Grant Little earlier in the game, fired a strike to gun down the runner to stave off the run for the first out of the eighth.

The Bulldogs would score after a walk brought in MSU's second run of the evening. With two outs, MSU found their way to another bases loaded opportunity, but freshman right-hander Jose Quezada shut the door for the save with a strikeout.

The Red Raiders return to action on Saturday, Feb. 18, when they take on Western Illinois at 1 p.m. at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-DeMent Stadium.