Box Score (PDF)

LUBBOCK, Texas – No. 3 Texas Tech used a four-run fourth inning to defeat No. 11 University of South Alabama baseball 9-7 Sunday at Rip Griffin Park.

TTU (13-0) secured a four-game series sweep with the victory, and extended its winning streak to 13 games this season. USA trailed by four runs entering the ninth inning, and had the game-tying run on base when the Red Raiders turned a 4-6-3 double play to clinch the game.

South Alabama will return to action Tue., March 6, when it hosts Alabama State at 6:30 p.m. at Stanky Field. 

GAME FACTS
- TTU scored the game's first run in the bottom of the second inning on a one-out solo home run to left-center field by Grant Little for a 1-0 lead. Cameron Warren doubled the Red Raider lead to 2-0 two batters later with an RBI double to left-center field that scored Michael Davis, who doubled earlier in the inning.
- USA answered with a pair of runs in the top of the third inning to knot the score. Dylan Hardy led off the inning with a walk, and advanced to second on a groundout to first base by Paul Russo. Travis Swaggerty followed with a walk before Brendan Donovan reached on an infield single to third, and advanced to third on a throwing error by TTU third baseman Josh Jung which allowed both Hardy and Swaggerty to score and tie the game at 2-2. 
- The Red Raiders responded for a run in the bottom of the third to take a one-run lead. Gabe Holt led off the inning with a triple off the left field wall, and scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by Kurt Wilson for a 3-2 lead. 
- USA answered with a run in the top of the fourth inning to tie the game. Carter Perkins drew a one-out walk, and moved to second on a wild pitch. Andrew Bates singled through the right side of the infield to move Perkins to third and put runners at the corners with one out. Hardy then reached on a fielder's choice off a grounder to first base that allowed Perkins to score and tie the score at 3-3.
- TTU took a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning on a one-out, two-run home run to left field by Davis. Warren then singled to left field, and moved to second on a wild pitch. Cody Farhat followed with an RBI double to left-center field to score Warren and double the Red Raider lead at 6-3. A single back up the middle of the infield by Zayne Willems scored Farhat to push the TTU lead to 7-3.
- The Red Raiders added to their lead in the bottom of the sixth. Warren led off the inning with a double down the left field line, and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Farhat. Holt delivered a two-out RBI single back up the middle of the infield later in the inning to plate Warren and extend the TTU lead to 8-3.
- USA answered with one run in the top of the seventh. Russo led off the inning with a triple off the left-center field wall, and later scored on a 6-3 double play off the bat of Donovan to cut the TTU lead in half at 8-4.
- The Jags cut the TTU lead to 8-5 when Perkins lifted the first pitch he saw from TTU right-hander Caleb Freeman over the center field wall for a solo home run, his first of the season, to lead off the top of the eighth inning.
- TTU added its final run on of the game on a wild pitch that scored Davis, who singled to lead off the inning.
- USA loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the ninth on three consecutive walks by Russo, Swaggerty and Donovan. Wells Davis followed with an RBI single through the left side of the infield to score Russo and cut the TTU lead to 9-6. Michael Sandle then delivered a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Swaggerty with the game's final run.

NOTES
- Five Red Raiders recorded multiple hits in the game, led by Davis who finished 3-for-4 with a double, one home run, two RBIs and three runs scored.
- Davis went 2-for-3 with one RBI, and Perkins added a home run, one RBI and one run scored to lead the Jags at the plate.
- Swaggerty finished with a double, two runs scored and walked three times.
- TTU's Jose Quezada (2-0) allowed one run on two hits with four strikeouts and two walks in two relief innings to earn the win.
- Jaguar right-hander Chase Shell (0-2) allowed seven runs on 10 hits with one strikeout in 3 1/3 innings in the loss.
- Jaguar right-handers Austin Gossmann and Tyler Perez, and left-hander Ryan Terry combined to limit the Red Raiders to two runs on five hits in 4 2/3 relief innings pitched. 

QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Calvi
- On the bullpen:
"I thought throughout the course of the four-game set that we pitched well in spurts. We had some guys who pitched well, and some other guys who didn't pitch well enough. The bottom line is that we got outplayed in all aspects of the game:  pitching, offense and defense. We were in it today and had a chance to win today and the other day; we were in two out of the four games against a very good ball club. Offensively, we left too many runners on base. When you face a good pitching staff and team like that, you have to take advantage when you get men on and we didn't do a good enough job across the board of getting men on, getting them over and getting them in. But I learned some things about our team this weekend – a lot of good. There are some guys who I see can help us moving forward, both offensively, defensively and pitching. Our guys played hard and it didn't work out for us, but we'll re-group. We have a quick turnaround with a tough home game Tuesday night."

- On Texas Tech:
"Now that we're done (with the series), that's as good of a four-day compilation of pitchers that I have seen in 25 years in terms of the staff. There were no letdowns; they didn't walk two or three in a row or throw wild pitches. They did what they needed to do. They all had good stuff; every single guy out of the bullpen was anywhere from 90 to 95 (mph). They had their starter the other day touching 99. That's as good of a collection of arms that I have seen on a college pitching staff in 25 years of college baseball. They've put together quite a pitching staff – they have a very good team with a lot of guys who have been around the block. When they get on, they get runners around. They can score runs in bunches, and they have some dangerous guys. I was proud of our guys and the way we competed. It could have been easy to roll in there down three games and just play out the fourth game, but our guys didn't do that. We played hard all weekend, but it didn't go our way."

- On what he is looking for out of the team in Tuesday's game with Alabama State:
"I am looking for our guys to give great effort, compete like crazy and play well. Anything less than that, they'll have problems with me."

UP NEXT
South Alabama will return to action Tue., March 6, when it hosts Alabama State at 6:30 p.m. at Stanky Field. 

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with USAJaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at Twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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