Texas Tech took the series finale against the Houston Cougars over the weekend, and for the second straight week, pitcher Jackson Burns was impressive.
LUBBOCK, Texas - Having lost five of its last six games, the Texas Tech Red Raiders had one last chance to defend home field and pick up a win in Big 12 play going into the Easter holiday.
With freshman right-hander Jackson Burns on the bump, the Red Raiders got the job done, beating the Houston Cougars 11-2 on Saturday to go into the Easter holiday avoiding a sweep at Dan Law Field in Lubbock.
For Burns, this marked his second impressive outing in a row. Last week, the Aledo native threw six innings of two-run ball against TCU, but unfortunately the Tech bats didn't do enough to earn him a win.
This time around, the offense picked up as Burns brought his best stuff yet again in his fourth consecutive start in a series finale.
The right-hander held the Cougars to just two hits through the first five innings. Burns finished six complete innings with two runs allowed on four hits, three walks and six strikeouts.
Texas Tech's offense produced nine hits, worked 13 walks from the eight Houston pitchers, and scratched seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning alone to blow it open.
After Houston posted their only two runs in the second inning, the Red Raiders took the lead with a three spot in the bottom of the sixth on Saturday. The late rally in the seventh brought Tech one run away from a run-rule, but the game was ultimately called due to a pre-determined drop time of 3:15 p.m. to accommodate the Cougars' travel back for the holiday.
Despite losing the series after dropping the first two games (8-6 on Thursday and 13-10 on Friday), the offense was plentiful for the weekend. Tech out-hit Houston 42-29 in the three-game set and out-scored the Cougars 27-23 overall.
The Red Raiders improved to 18-13 overall and 5-7 in Big 12 play.
Up next, Texas Tech travels to Albuquerque for a standalone game against New Mexico on Tuesday, April 7 at 3 p.m. CT. The Red Raiders return to Dan Law Field next weekend for a conference series against West Virginia April 10-12.
