Ryan Free made it through the first half of the Big 12 series opener against Houston unscathed.
And then came the bottom of the second inning.
Holding a three-run advantage, Ryan Free tied it before the end of the second inning and it was back to square one. The left-handed pitcher, who was called up as the opening pitcher for the second consecutive week, was unable to overcome his bad innings throughout the rest of his stay on the mound.
Free was pulled away after 3 1/3 innings and couldn't make much of an impact on the game, but he watched the Red Raider offense, especially Drew Woodcox, start to step up a gear.
Rice, a transfer enjoying his second stint in Lubbock, hit a single to left field that led to a run and a three-run seventh inning, giving Texas Tech a 12-9 victory over the Cougars at Dan Law. . Rip Griffin Park field.
Texas Tech (22-9, 6-7) had to fend off a troublesome game against Houston (16-13, 4-9), but Houston was in the lead by Friday night's series opener. They had lost six of their last 10 games.
In the 5th inning, Kevin Buzzell made a big swing to score the tying run and the winning run, and then in the 6th inning, with the score tied at 9-9, University's Harold Coll hit a tying solo home run.
The difference came when Woodcox, a hard-hitting outfielder who finished the night 2-for-4, stepped up to the plate with two runners in scoring position and scored the go-ahead run. Buzzell, who was at third base, crossed home plate with a wild pitch, and Woodcox followed suit with an RBI double to center field by Owen Washburn, pushing the lead to 12-9 at the end of the seventh inning.
Texas Tech relief pitcher Josh Saunders, who was activated in the top of the seventh inning, kept the Cougars in check for the rest of the game, pitching three shutout innings with three strikeouts. He improved to 2-1.
Buzzell and Damian Bravo each had three RBIs to lead the Red Raider attack.
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How did Ryan Free do in his second start?
After showing he can perform well in the opening game, left-handed pitcher Ryan Freee will be given another chance as the Red Raiders host Houston for a third straight Big 12 series.
He did well until the first three outs, but struggled after allowing three runs in the top of the second inning. The ball didn't help find him in the third inning, even hitting the backside when he stole a comeback from Harold Coll.
Despite the struggles, Free fought and found a way out when needed.
In the third inning, with two runners in scoring position and one out, the southpaw struck out Jonathan French and used a slower pitch to get out of trouble and tie the score at 3-3. In the fourth inning, with runners on the corners and the count 0-2, he was replaced by right-hander Jacob Rodgers.
Free finished the night throwing 67 pitches in 3 1/3 innings, striking out four and allowing four earned runs.
Houston boasted solid pitching.
Coming into the trifecta, the Cougars have not allowed a home run in their past 10 games. This was the first such event since 2017, which lasted from February 24 to March 12, 2017. UH did not allow a home run in 13 games in 2016 and 1983.
Damien Bravo hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning to end the overtime.
Texas Tech baseball player Cade McGee gets hit by a pitch
Getting hit by a baseball isn't the best feeling in the world, but it's one that one Cade McGee has gotten used to this season. The junior infielder had a hit in the sixth inning, increasing his total to 18 for the year.
McGee is tied with San Francisco's Cody Watanabe for the NCAA lead in that category.
What's next?
Texas Tech and Houston are scheduled to continue their three-game series on Saturday at 2 p.m. The three-game set is scheduled to conclude Sunday with a tilt at 1 p.m. All games will be streamed online on ESPN+.
