BYU powers past Texas Tech 12-3 Friday evening in Lubbock

LUBBOCK Texas — BYU defeated Texas Tech 12-3 Friday in game two of the Big 12 baseball series at Rip Griffin Park to even the three-game series at 1-1.

BYU (25-24, 13-13) used a 16-hit performance, including five home runs to score 12 runs, while Texas Tech (25-25, 8-18) was limited to three runs on six hits. The win locks up a spot in the Big 12 Baseball Championship for the Cougars for a second-straight season.  

Senior starter Garrison Sumner (4-3) tied his season high innings pitched with seven. He picked up his fourth win of the year surrendering just five hits and three earned runs while striking out eight Red Raiders. 

Highlights
Bryker Hurdsman: 2-4, 4Runs, 2RBI, 2HR, 2BB
Matt Hansen: 3-4, 2Runs, 4BRBI, 2HR, BB
Easton Jones: 3-5, 2RBI, Run, HR
Ezra McNaughton: 3-6, RBI, Run, 2B
Crew McChesney: 2-5, 2RBI, 2B
Garrison Sumner: W, 7.0 IP, 8K

Summary
BYU scored early and often with at least one run in each of the first four innings. Bryker Hurdsman homered to lead off the game and Easton Jones scored Luke Anderson on infield ground ball for a 2-0 lead in the Cougars’ first at bat. 

After holding TTU scoreless in the bottom of the first, Matt Hansen led off the second inning with a first-pitch home run to deep center field for the third run of the game. Ezra McNaughton later doubled to score Hurdsman, who had reach on a walk, for a 4-0 advantage. 

The Cougars picked up another run in the third inning off a third-straight lead-off home run, this one by Jones for a 5-0 lead. The senior third baseman now has 30 home runs in his career, good for 33rd all-time on the BYU career list. 

Texas Tech answered with a lead-off home run of its own in the bottom of the third to make the score 5-1. 

BYU added three more runs in the fourth to push its lead to 8-1. Hurdsman led off the inning with a walk and later scored on a single by Ryder Robinson. After a Jones single, Crew McChesney also singled to right field to score both McNaughton and Robinson. 

TTU picked up single runs in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings, but a three-run home run by Hansen in the top of the sixth all but sealed the deal for BYU, 11-3. The Cougars tacked on an insurance run in the ninth off Hurdsman’s second bomb of the night for a 12-3 final. 

Up Next
BYU and Texas Tech will play the rubber match of the Big 12 series on Saturday, May 9 at 2 p.m. CT (1 p.m. MT) at Rip Griffin Park. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and on the BYU Radio app, BYUradio.org, SiriusXM 143 and 107.9 FM in Utah County.