Gavin Kash wields hot bat in win over WVU | Texas Tech baseball takeaways

Gavin Kash doubled three times and drove in three runs as the Texas Tech baseball team beat No. 24 West Virginia 6-4 in the first game of a Big 12 home doubleheader Sunday, clinching a key series victory.

Kash finished with four hits for Tech (28-13, 11-9), which walloped the Mountaineers’ 15-2 on Friday. West Virginia (23-15, 11-6) entered the series tied for the Big 12 lead and on a seven-game win streak in conference play.

WVU’s J.J. Wetherholt narrowed the gap to 5-4 with a two-run double in the eighth, and Tech’s Austin Green drew a bases-loaded walk in the ninth.

Tech relief pitcher Josh Sanders pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save, getting the last two outs after loading the bases.

Tech jumped ahead in the second inning with an RBI single from Dylan Maxcey and a two-run double from Kash.

After WVU scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings off Mac Heuer (4-3), Tech answered in the sixth with a Cade McGee home run and a Kash RBI double.

Here are three key developments.

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Texas Tech helps its chances of making the NCAA postseason

West Virginia went into the series No. 26 and Texas Tech No. 33 in the RPI rankings, a factor in NCAA tournament consideration. The series victory against a strong team will help the Red Raiders’ positioning.

The Red Raiders deal Derek Clark an uncommonly short day

Getting into the sixth inning is acceptable for many pitchers in this baseball era. Not so for West Virginia starter Derek Clark (4-1), who pitched nine innings in each of his previous four appearances.

The Red Raiders chased Clark in the sixth after five of the inning’s first six batters reached against him. After McGee’s leadoff homer and Maxcey’s one-out single, Clark picked off Maxcey, leaving the bases empty.

But Tracer Lopez singled, Kash doubled him home and T.J. Pompey walked, ending Clark’s day.

Texas Tech pitchers live dangerously

West Virginia failed to make much of multiple opportunities. The Mountaineers had the bases loaded in the fourth and fifth and scored only one run in each inning.

Heuer got Brodie Kresser to fly out, leaving the bases loaded in the fourth and coaxed an inning-ending double-play ball from Reed Chumley in the fifth.

In the sixth, Brendan Lysik hit back-to-back batters with one out, then struck out the next two. Parker Hutyra struck out Kyle West with two on to end a scoreless seventh.