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May 23, 1997

Southwest Missouri State Eliminates Texas Tech

LUBBOCK, Texas -- In the end, Texas Tech could not make the plays when it had to as the 1997 campaign came to a close Friday with a 4-2 loss to Southwest Missouri State in the NCAA Central Regional.

Big 12 Conference champ Texas Tech (46-14), which mustered only five hits, scored in the top of the second and seventh innings, but could not match Southwest Missouri's (34-24) two-out, three-run, seventh-inning rally and was eliminated from NCAA play.

The Red Raiders, who lost 7-6 to Southwest Texas State in 11 innings Thursday night, are the first team to ever be eliminated in their first two NCAA Regional games by fifth and sixth-seeded teams.

The Red Raiders left the bases loaded twice in the late innings Thursday and made a costly error on Friday as a successful season came to a much unexpected ending on their home field.

With the Red Raiders' backs to the wall on Friday, Tech went into the bottom of the seventh with a 2-1 edge over Southwest Missouri and starting pitcher Monty Ward holding his own. Ward (9-4) scattered 10 hits, struck out 10 and didn't allow an earned run.

However a two-out error by All-America second baseman Keith Ginter opened the door for the three-run, go-ahead outburst. Matt Cepicky's two-RBI single proved to be the game-winning hit for the Bears.

"We had an opportunity," said Ginter, "but I dropped the little pop fly and it cost us."

With two out in the seventh, Southwest Missouri's Mike Byas singled and stole second. He advanced to third when Ginter dropped Micha Holst's pop fly. Brandon Jackson, who went 2-for-4, tied the score at 2-all with an RBI single. Jackson, who had advanced to second on the previous throw home, scored along with Holst on Cepicky's sharp single to center.

Both starting pitchers went the distance. The Bears' Scott Geitz (7-2) scattered five hits and struck out seven with five walks. Ward allowed 10 hits in suffering the tough-luck loss.

"I hate for this team to have the season end this way," said Tech head coach Larry Hays. "I was really proud of the way Monty Ward pitched.

"(Geitz) was nasty," Hays said. "You need left-handed hitters against him. He was tough on our right-handed hitters."

Josh Bard gave Tech an early 1-0 lead in the second inning by snapping an 0-for-16 slump with his 13th home run to left centerfield. Southwest Missouri, taking advantage of Joe Dillon's error, tied the score at 1-all in the third inning. Matt Cepicky reached on the miscue, stole second and scored on Chris Curry's RBI single.

Tech grabbed the 2-1 advantage in the seventh inning when Keith Ginter scored from first when first baseman Jason Hart couldn't handle Shane Langen's hard grounder.

Tech was making its third consecutive NCAA Regional appearance. The early exit comes on the heels of the Red Raiders earning a first-ever No. 1 ranking this season and their first top seed in the Central Regional.

Box Score

Texas Tech 2 (46-14)                                                Southwest Mo. State 4 (34-24)
Name (Pos)                 AB  R  H RBI  BB SO PO  A                Name (Pos)                 AB  R  H RBI  BB SO PO  A
----------------------------------------------------                ----------------------------------------------------
Keith Ginter 2b...........  4  1  0  0    1  3  2  1                Brandon Jackson ss........  4  1  2  1    0  0  3  0
Shane Langen cf...........  5  0  1  1    0  0  4  0                Matt Cepicky lf...........  4  1  2  2    0  0  2  0
Joe Dillon 1b.............  1  0  0  0    3  1  4  0                Lance Burkhart c..........  4  0  0  0    0  3  8  0
Brandon Toro rf...........  4  0  0  0    0  1  0  0                Chris Curry 2b............  4  0  1  1    0  0  1  0
Jason Landreth lf.........  4  0  0  0    0  1  4  0                Nick Kays dh..............  4  0  1  0    0  1  0  0
Josh Bard c...............  4  1  1  1    0  0 10  2                Jason Hart 1b.............  4  0  2  0    0  0  5  1
Joe Smith dh..............  4  0  1  0    0  0  0  0                Richie Smith 3b...........  4  0  0  0    0  3  0  3
Jose Alvarez 3b...........  3  0  1  0    0  0  0  0                Mike Byas rf..............  3  1  1  0    0  1  2  0
Jeff Peck ph..............  1  0  0  0    0  1  0  0                Micah Holst cf............  3  1  1  0    0  1  5  0
Jason Huth ss.............  3  0  1  0    1  0  0  2                Scott Geitz p.............  0  0  0  0    0  0  1  0
Monty Ward p..............  0  0  0  0    0  0  0  0                Totals.................... 34  4 10  4    0  9 27  4
Totals.................... 33  2  5  2    5  7 24  5                

Score by innings:                      R  H  E
----------------------------------------------
Texas Tech            010 000 100   -  2  5  2
Southwest Mo. State   001 000 30x   -  4 10  1
----------------------------------------------


E - K. Ginter(16), J. Dillon(5), Jason Hart(8).
LOB - Texas Tech 9, SWMS 6.
2B - Matt Cepicky(13).
HR - Josh Bard(13).
SB - J. Dillon 2(19), Matt Cepicky 2(10), Mike Byas(14). CS - Chris Curry(1). 

Texas Tech             IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  AB  BF               Southwest Mo. State    IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  AB  BF
-----------------------------------------------------               -----------------------------------------------------
Monty Ward..........  8.0  10   4   0   0   9  34  34               Scott Geitz.........  9.0   5   2   1   5   7  33  38


Winner - Scott Geitz 7-2. Loser - Monty Ward 9-4. Save - None.
PB - L. Burkhart(15).
Umpires - Home:Magnusson 1st:Levine 2nd:Wetzel 3rd:L'Heureux
Start: 11 a.m.
Time: 1:59
Attendance: 2191

Game Notes:
Second day of the NCAA Central Regional
Dan Law Field on the Texas Tech Campus in Lubbock, Texas
Texas Tech at Southwest Mo. State May 22, 1997 at Lubbock, Texas

Play-by-Play

Texas Tech inning 1
K. Ginter struck out looking. S. Langen popped up to ss. J. Dillon struck out. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Southwest Mo. State inning 1
B. Jackson singled to second base. Matt Cepicky doubled to left field; B. Jackson advanced to third. L. Burkhart struck out. Chris Curry popped up to c. Nick Kays struck out. 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.

Texas Tech inning 2
Brandon Toro flied out to rf. J. Landreth struck out. Josh Bard homered, RBI. Joe Smith singled to center field. J. Alvarez singled to center field; Joe Smith advanced to second. Jason Huth walked; J. Alvarez advanced to second; Joe Smith advanced to third. K. Ginter struck out. 1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB.

Southwest Mo. State inning 2 Jason Hart singled to right field. Richie Smith struck out. Mike Byas flied out to cf. Micah Holst singled to left field; Jason Hart advanced to second. B. Jackson flied out to lf. 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.

Texas Tech inning 3
S. Langen flied out to cf. J. Dillon walked. J. Dillon stole second. Brandon Toro struck out. J. Landreth grounded out to c unassisted. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Southwest Mo. State inning 3
Matt Cepicky reached on an error by 1b. Matt Cepicky stole second. L. Burkhart struck out. Chris Curry singled to second base, RBI; Matt Cepicky scored, unearned. Nick Kays flied out to lf. Chris Curry out at second c to 2b, caught stealing. 1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 0 LOB.

Texas Tech inning 4
Josh Bard lined out to ss. Joe Smith flied out to 2b. J. Alvarez grounded out to 1b unassisted. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Southwest Mo. State inning 4
Jason Hart flied out to cf. Richie Smith struck out. Mike Byas struck out looking. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Texas Tech inning 5
Jason Huth popped up to ss. K. Ginter flied out to cf. S. Langen singled to center field. J. Dillon walked; S. Langen advanced to second. J. Dillon advanced to second on a passed ball; S. Langen advanced to third. Brandon Toro flied out to lf. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.

Southwest Mo. State inning 5
Micah Holst struck out looking. B. Jackson flied out to 2b. Matt Cepicky flied out to lf. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Texas Tech inning 6
J. Landreth flied out to cf. Josh Bard flied out to lf. Joe Smith grounded out to 3b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Southwest Mo. State inning 6
L. Burkhart flied out to cf. Chris Curry popped up to 1b. Nick Kays singled to left field. Nick Kays out at first c to 2b to 1b, picked off. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Texas Tech inning 7
J. Alvarez grounded out to 3b. Jason Huth flied out to cf. K. Ginter walked. S. Langen reached on an error by 1b, advanced to third, RBI; K. Ginter scored, unearned. J. Dillon intentionally walked. J. Dillon stole second. Brandon Toro fouled out to 1b. 1 run, 0 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.

Southwest Mo. State inning 7
Jason Hart grounded out to ss. Richie Smith flied out to lf. Mike Byas singled to shortstop. Mike Byas stole second. Micah Holst reached on an error by 2b; Mike Byas advanced to third. B. Jackson singled, advanced to second, RBI; Micah Holst advanced to third; Mike Byas scored, unearned. Matt Cepicky singled to center field, 2 RBI; B. Jackson scored, unearned; Micah Holst scored, unearned. Matt Cepicky stole second. L. Burkhart struck out. 3 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB.

Texas Tech inning 8
J. Landreth grounded out to 3b. Josh Bard flied out to cf. Joe Smith flied out to rf. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Southwest Mo. State inning 8
Chris Curry grounded out to ss. Nick Kays flied out to cf. Jason Hart singled to center field. Richie Smith struck out. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Texas Tech inning 9
Jeff Peck pinch hit for J. Alvarez. Jeff Peck struck out looking. Jason Huth singled to right field. K. Ginter struck out looking. S. Langen out at first 1b to p. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

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