LUBBOCK, Texas – The University of Maine baseball team found itself in an early hole against No. 3 Texas Tech and plated six runs in the second inning before ultimately falling, 21-6, on Sunday afternoon at Rip Griffin Stadium.
 
The Black Bears (0-4) collected six hits and had at least one runner on base in the first seven innings but it wasn't enough to match the 17 hits of the Red Raiders (4-0).
 
Jeremy Pena led off with a single to left field but the Red Raiders immediately turned a 4-6-3 double play to quell the early threat.
 
Texas Tech in turn got a leadoff triple from Gabe Holt and then he was able to cross the plate on an errant relay throw to third, giving the Red Raiders a 1-0 lead. A nine run second for the hosts staked the Red Raiders to a 10-0 lead after two innings. Beginning with Michael Davis' leadoff double to center and ending with Holt's single to right field, the Red Raiders notched seven total hits in the bottom half of the inning.
 
The Black Bears had a solid top of the third though, plating six runs in response.
 
With one out in the top of the third, Caleb Kerbs doubled down the left field line and then scored when a Kevin Doody hit to the shortstop resulted in a throwing error. Three batters later, Doody himself scored when Pena reached on a fielder's choice and Cody Pasic and Christopher Bec earned back-to-back walks. Colin Ridley's double to left center scored both Pasic and Pena. Two batters later, a single from Jonathan Bennett allowed Bec and Ridley.
 
Texas Tech added a run in the bottom half of the inning to make it 11-6 and then after a scoreless fifth for both squads, Clay Koelzer knocked a triple to center to score Brian Klein for the Red Raiders. Three runs in the bottom of the seventh and six runs on four in the bottom of the eighth put Maine in an 21-6 hole heading into the top of the ninth.
 
Pena finished with two hits for Maine while scoring one run. John Arel threw four innings of relief for Maine, giving up two hits and two earned runs, while Connor Johnson, Peter Kemble and Ben Terwilliger all made appearances.
 
Maine will travel to Emerson, Ga. next weekend for a four-game series with Ohio University.
 
-UMaine-