LUBBOCK, Texas – Baylor baseball used another dominant performance to take the weekend series against No. 5 Texas Tech after its 13-3 win over Sunday afternoon at Rip Griffin Park in Lubbock, Texas. The Bears (26-13, 7-8 Big 12) became the first team to win a series against Red Raiders (27-9, 8-6 Big 12) at Rip Griffin Park since 2018. The series victory also marked the first time BU has won in Lubbock since 2018 and the first time the Bears have won a road series over a top-10 opponent since 2005.
 
BU got on the board in the first inning with two outs as second-year freshman Tre Richardson smacked his third home run of the season, while fifth-year senior Andy Thomas followed up with a solo shot of his own to make it 2-0 in favor of the Bears.
 
In the fourth, it was the long ball once again that extended the Baylor lead as second-year freshman Cade Currington launched his second home run of the weekend, this time a solo shot to push the advantage to 3-0.
 
Later in the sixth, second-year freshman Jared McKenzie pulled a ball down the right field line for a leadoff triple. In the next at-bat, Richardson brought him home with a groundout as BU led 4-0. The Red Raiders hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the frame to trim it back to a three-run game.
 
The Bears opened the flood gates in the seventh with a five-spot in the inning. With one out, BU ripped off six-straight hits, starting with singles from second-year freshman Kyle Nevin and third-year sophomore Chase Wehsener, who scored Nevin. Junior Esteban Cardoza-Oquendo kept the momentum going with an RBI-single to left center to score Wehsener. Following a Jack Pineda single, McKenzie brought in another with a single.
 
Following a pitching change, it was Richardson who doubled in the gap to cap the scoring in the inning with a two-run double as the Bears took control, 9-1. Texas Tech scratched across a run in the home-half to make it 9-2.
 
Baylor scored four more runs over the final two innings with three via bases loaded walks and the other on a bases loaded hit by pitch, as BU secured the 13-3 win.
 
BU starter Blake Helton (3-2) went his season-long in conference play after hurling five innings of scoreless baseball, while only allowing three hits and striking out two in the win. Tech starter Mason Montgomery (2-2) was tabbed with the loss.
 
NOTES
• First series win in Lubbock since May 15-16, 2010.
• First series win over a top 10 team since defeating No. 8 Texas Tech March 16-18, 2018 in Waco.
• First series win on the road over a top 10 team since 2005.
• First team to win a series at Rip Griffin Park since 2018. Tech was 20-2 at home in 2021 entering this weekend.
• The Bears won its third-straight Big 12 series.
• BU has won 13 of its last 16 games.
• Baylor outscored the Red Raiders 26-8 in the three-game set.
• The only time the Bears trailed in the series was after the eighth inning in Saturday's loss.
• BU is now 7-10 away from Baylor Ballpark.
• Coach Rodriguez is now 7-9 all-time against Tech.
• Every batter in the Baylor lineup finished with a hit, including three with multi-hit games.
• Cardoza-Oquendo went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI.
• McKenzie finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored, two RBI and a triple.
• Richardson tallied a career-high four RBI.
• Helton threw his longest outing in Big 12 play (5.0 innings). Helton has not allowed an earned run in his last two starts (9.0 innings).
 
QUOTE FROM COACH ROD
"Blake Helton did a great job getting through some tough situations a few times but really worked his way out of it. He did a phenomenal job and at the same time our offense did a great job jumping on them early. We got a couple of home runs after two strikeouts to begin the game, we just continued to have good at-bats the rest of the day. We beat a pretty good Texas Tech team and I'm proud of our guys battling through things this weekend. They learned a lot and kept competing. When you have a young team like we do these are great experiences."
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears will return home for a midweek matchup against Prairie View A&M on Tuesday, April 27 at 6:30 p.m. at Baylor Ballpark.
 
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