LUBBOCK, Texas – The New Mexico State baseball team's pitching staff couldn't contain a hot-hitting Texas Tech team and fell to the 21st-ranked Red Raiders 16-1 Tuesday afternoon at Rip Griffin Park.
 
How It Happened
New Mexico State jumped out to a 1-0 lead to start the game after Dan Hetzel plated Greg Popylisen from third on a deep fly ball to center for the sacrifice RBI. However, Texas Tech answered with a run of its own in the bottom-half of the second.
 
The Red Raiders then scored the go-ahead run the very next inning on a throwing error from LJ Hatch that scored TTU's Michael Davis from second. Austin Botello drew a four-pitch walk to lead off the top of the fourth, but the next three Aggie batters went down in order.
 
TTU tacked on four more runs in the sixth after scoring two in the fifth thanks to Orlando Garcia, who lifted a 1-1 pitch over the left-field fence to give the home team the 8-1 lead through six innings of action. Andy Frakes got NM State out of the jam in the sixth when he got Hunger Hargrove to foul out by the left field line on his first pitch.
 
NM State went down 15-1 heading into the eighth after Texas Tech spotted seven runs in its bottom half of the seventh. Garcia knocked in his second homer of the game in that inning for the Red Raiders when he cranked his second homer over the left field wall.
 
Jaron Balman looked to start a two-out rally in the top of the ninth, drawing a five-pitch walk but Andrew Davis was able to strike out the next Aggie batter and ended the game in favor of Texas Tech 16-1.
 
By the Numbers
NM State was just 1-for-10 with runners on and 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position...NM State managed to get just one run on two hits while giving up 16 runs on 18 hits to the Red Raiders…Botello and Ortiz logged the two hits for NM State…Frakes was the only Aggie pitcher to leave unscathed, getting the lone out in the bottom of the sixth on one pitch.
 
Up Next
The Aggies now return home for a four-game set against Mount Saint Mary's, beginning with a 6 p.m. first pitch on Friday, Feb. 24, followed by a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 2 p.m. before wrapping up the weekend with a noon time tilt against the Mountaineers on Sunday.