ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Hudson White had three hits, Mason Molina pitched six strong innings and Texas Tech beat third-seeded West Virginia 6-2 on Wednesday night in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament.
The sixth-seeded Red Raiders (38-19) scored in five straight innings, starting with a two-run second, that sent the Mountaineers (39-17) to the loser’s bracket. Texas Tech advances to play No. 7 seed Oklahoma on Thursday night. West Virginia will play an elimination game against second-seeded Oklahoma State early Thursday.
White singled in the game’s first run and Nolen Hester drew a bases-loaded walk for a 2-0 lead.
Gavin Kash made it 3-0 with a solo home run and Hester extended the lead to 4-0 with an RBI single in the fourth. Caleb McNeely hit a solo homer in the bottom of the inning for the Mountaineers, but Texas Tech got a run back in the fifth on a home run by Austin Green. Reliever Max Yehl scored the sixth run for the Red Raiders before Tracer Lopez threw his first pitch.
Molina (5-2) allowed one run on four hits and three walks, striking out six. Brandon Bickel pitched the final three innings for his sixth save. He allowed an unearned run on two hits, striking out four.
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AP College Sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports And https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
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