LUBBOCK, Texas – The 10th-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders dealt the Wichita State Shockers a 12-2 loss in the opening game of a three-game series Friday night, March 8, in front of 3,587 spectators at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
 
Wichita State (5-7) and Texas Tech (9-3) are scheduled to play game two of the series at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 9.
 
Sophomore outfielder Hunter Gibson led the Shockers at the plate, going 2-for-4 with his first triple and home run of the season. Senior second baseman Luke Ritter added a 3-of-5 showing with a double and RBI, extending his on-base streak to 23 games dating back to last season, while fellow senior infielder Jordan Boyer increased his reached base safely streak to 11 games with a pair of hits.
 
Junior right-hander Preston Snavely (1-2) suffered the loss on the mound after allowing four earned runs on seven hits with a career-high tying eight strikeouts, and four walks in 5 1/3 innings.
 
The Red Raiders broke a scoreless tie in bottom of the third inning, plating a run on catcher Braxton Fulford's single to left field to take a 1-0 lead.
 
The Shockers answered, however, tying the game, 1-1, with a run in the top of the fifth after Boyer ripped a one-out single through the left side before scoring on Ritter's double just inside the left field line.
 
The lead didn't last long though, as the home team regained the advantage, 3-1, after a two-out, two-run double up the middle by second baseman Brian Klein in the bottom-half of the fifth.
 
Texas Tech went on to add another run in the sixth, before plating six in the seventh, surging to a 10-1 advantage.  
 
The Shockers got one run back on Gibson's solo shot to left-center in the eighth, making it 10-2, but that marked the final run for WSU in the contest.
 
Klein led Texas Tech in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and a pair of RBI.
 
Reliever Dane Haveman (1-0) earned the victory for the Red Raiders after allowing no earned runs on one hit with four strikeouts and no walks in 1 2/3 innings.