April 6, 2002

Box Score

LUBBOCK, Texas - Senior shortstop Gera Alvarez went 4-for-4 with four RBI and junior Steve Gooch pitched a complete game shutout to lead Texas Tech to a 15-0 win over Kansas State on Saturday afternoon at a rain-soaked Dan Law Field.

With the win, Texas Tech improves to 25-14 overall and 8-9 in the Big 12 while Kansas State falls to 17-13 and 4-4 in the league.

Texas Tech junior second baseman Joel Buchenauer ended the scoring drought for both team in the bottom of the fifth when he connected on an RBI single to right field plating Jake Brown from second and Tech went ahead 1-0. The Red Raiders added two more runs and finished the inning with five hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch pushing the score to 3-0.

The Red Raiders ran away with the game in the bottom of the sixth as the squad pounded out seven hits and plated nine runs to take a 12-0 lead. Senior catcher Willie Durazo got the biggest hit of the inning when he delivered a bases-loaded double down the right field line giving him his second double of the inning. Senior first baseman Bryan Smith also picked up two hits in the inning as he delivered two RBI singles.

Senior shortstop Gera Alvarez picked up his fourth RBI of the game when he hit a single up the middle plating Jon Slack from second to push Tech's lead to 13-0. Alvarez currently has a 20-game hitting streak that is the longest streak by any Big 12 player this season.

Nick Blankenship tied the Big 12 record for the most hit by pitches in a single season in the bottom of the eighth when Ryan Hawley hit him for the 24th time this season. Blankenship is tied with Billy Gasparino of Oklahoma State for the record as Gasparino was plunked 24 times during the 1999 season.

Steve Gooch (4-2) picked up the win for Texas Tech in his first career complete game performance as he allowed just six hits in nine innings of work and struckout seven. Brock Smith took the loss for Kansas State after giving up three earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work and falls to 1-4 on the season.

Texas Tech and Kansas State will play the rubber match of the three-game series at noon on Sunday.