The Red Raiders (20-12, 3-5 Big 12) snapped NU’s streak of 10
straight conference series wins and became the first Big 12 team to take a
series over the Huskers since Hawks Field opened in 2002. NU had won 13 straight
conference home series, dating back to March of 2001.
"This game was a very humbling experience, especially getting
beat this way at home," Nebraska Head Coach Mike Anderson said. "They took it to
us. You have to give them credit, they deserved to win today."
The Husker left fielder provided nearly all of NU’s offensive
highlights, going 3-for-4 and driving in all three Nebraska runs, as the Huskers
dipped to 24-7 overall and 6-3 in league play.
Nebraska took a 2-0 lead into the fourth before the Red Raiders
answered with five runs to take the lead for good, scoring four times with two
outs. Josh Haney reached on an error by first baseman Curtis Ledbetter, his
first in 208 chances this season, to open the frame. Haney eventually scored on
Jose Delgado’s RBI single two batters later before Texas Tech added two-out,
two-run singles by Cameron Blair and Josh Brady to take a 5-2 lead.
Justin Pekarek took the loss, allowing five runs – all unearned
– on seven hits in 3.2 innings to drop to 4-1 on the season. The left-hander
struck out six, one off his career high, but could not shut the door on Texas
Tech in the Red Raiders’ five-run fourth.
The outburst would be all the runs that Texas Tech would need,
as reliever Corey Gerstner shut the door on the Huskers in working a career-high
six innings of relief. Gerstner (2-0) fanned five without a walk and scattered
seven hits before NU finally scored off of the Red Raider on Boyer’s
eighth-inning RBI single.
NU took an early 2-0 lead in the second on Boyer’s two-run
single and had an opportunity to take control later in the inning, loading the
bases off of starter Michael McGowan, but Gerstner came in and struck out
Mullinax to end the inning.
The Red Raiders extended their lead to 8-2 in the sixth on a
three-run homer by Josh Brady to center, as he went 2-for-5 with five RBIs to
lead Texas Tech’s 17-hit attack. Madison Edwards and Cody Fuller also had three
hits apiece in the win.
In the eighth, Texas Tech added a pair of runs on Delgado’s RBI
triple and an RBI double by Edwards to extend the lead to 10-2.
NU, which stranded 12 runners, closed to within 10-3 in the
eighth, as Boyer singled home Braden Keith, who scored two of NU’s three runs,
with a RBI single. NU had two runners on with two outs, but Adam Fry, who earned
the save in Saturday’s win, got Alex Gordon to fly out to end the
threat.
The Huskers return to action on Tuesday night, when they play
host to No. 10 Wichita State (20-5). First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m.