LUBBOCK, Texas – Kaysen Raineri and Connor Mohan combined to toss an eight-inning three-hit shutout while freshmen Jesse Rusinek and Linkin Garcia combined to go 5-for-8 with five runs scored and seven RBIs in Texas Tech’s 10-8, eight-inning run-rule win over UAlbany Sunday afternoon at Rip Griffin Park at Dan Law Field.

After Mohan tossed four scoreless two-hit innings and walked just one, fellow underclassman (Raineri) fired the final four scoreless innings to propel Texas Tech (5-3) to the first shutout victory since a 2-0 win at Baylor (Mar. 15, 2024) and the first home shutout since Apr. 9, 2022 when the Red Raiders blanked Kansas State at home, 14-0.  

Entering in the fifth for Mohan, Raineri retired the final 11 UAlbany (0-4) batters he faced on the afternoon. He did not walk a batter and struck out seven, tying Lukas Pirko for the most strikeouts in an outing by a Red Raider this season.

Pirko whiffed seven Great Danes in his seven inning complete game in Saturday’s 15-1 run-rule win.

On the offensive end of things, the Red Raider bats stayed hot, as Tech drew 10 walks, a hit-by-pitch and recorded 11 hits.

In the victory, the Red Raiders reached at least eight runs for the fifth-straight game and now have scored 70 times in the last five games, all wins.

Locked in scoreless game through three innings, the Red Raider offense found more two-out magic in the fourth when a Logan Hughes walk and a first pitch from single Garcia placed two on for Rusinek.

Ahead in the count 2-1, the Brock native turned on a fastball from UAlbany starter Brian Cadieux and ripped a seed into the right-centerfield gap that scored both Hughes from third and Garcia from first.

On the throw in from center, Rusinek tried for third base but was ultimately tagged out for the third and final out of the inning.

Entering for the second time as a Red Raider, Raineri made quick work of the first batter he faced, recording a three-pitch strikeout.

After Tre Mariano ripped a double off the wall in left-center, Albany’s Zach Mravlja nearly tied the game at two on the first pitch he saw from Raineri, but his long fly ball hooked wide of the foul pole for a long first strike.

Unfazed Raineri needed just five pitches to complete a pair of punchouts to complete the striking out of the side.

After the Red Raiders stranded the bases loaded in the fifth in a 2-0 game, Raineri again set the side down in order ending the scoreless frame on his fourth strikeout of the game.

With two on and two out in the sixth, the Red Raiders doubled their lead to 4-0 when Robin Villeneuve singled through the six-hole for an RBI single. Trying to throw out Villeneuve at first to end the inning, Albany’s Cooper Loyal spiked the threw allowing Villeneuve to be safe at first and the trail runner, Rusinek to score from second.

Following another 1-2-3 inning with a strikeout from the Hawai’i transfer, Raineri, the Red Raiders again found two-out success when back-to-back hits from Connor Shouse and Logan Hughes placed a pair of runners on with two away for Garcia.

On the first pitch the Californian saw from Albany southpaw Mark Gajowski, Garcia ripped a 104 MPH two-RBI double off the base of the wall in right. The two-base hit scored Hughes and Shouse and gave Tech a 6-0 lead.

The Red Raiders ultimately made it 7-0 on an RBI single from Rusinek a batter later.

After another three-up, three-down eighth inning from Raineri, the Red Raiders used a single from Villeneuve and five walks (three-straight) to close out the series sweep and second run-rule win of the weekend.

With the victory, the Red Raiders have now won five-straight and swept a four-game home series for the first time since the 2023 season when the Red Raiders swept Western Illinois and Gonzaga in back-to-back weekends to open that campaign.

Since starting 2-for-11 in the opening weekend against OU, Vandy and Arkansas, Garcia exploded in five games this week, going 9-for-21 with three home runs 11 runs scored and 13 RBIs.

Also rebounding from a slow start was Hughes, who scored 12 runs in the five games this weekend and recorded a hit and an RBI in every game. Hughes raised his average from .091 after the Arkansas game to .333.

UP NEXT:

The Red Raiders return to action on Friday afternoon when they welcome the CSUB (Cal Bakersfield) for a three-game series. First pitch from Rip Griffin Park is set for 2 p.m. on Friday.