LUBBOCK, Texas (Interstat) — The Texas Tech Red Raiders’ offense erupted early and often, overcoming a brief deficit to overpower the Penn State Nittany Lions 15-7 in a high-scoring nonconference baseball game Friday night at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.

The most important sequence of the game unfolded immediately, as Texas Tech answered Penn State’s early advantage with a six-run bottom of the first inning, setting the tone for the offensive onslaught to come. After Penn State was held scoreless in the top of the frame, the Red Raiders sent 11 men to the plate against Penn State starter Fitzgerald, who recorded only two outs.

Kyeler Thompson, the top star for Texas Tech, ignited the rally with a single, stole second and advanced to third on an error. Connor Shouse followed with an RBI double, Linkin Garcia drove in two with another double, Caden Ferraro added an RBI single and Matt Quintanar capped the outburst with a two-run double. The rally chased Fitzgerald and forced Penn State to burn its bullpen early, with reliever Mason Horwat entering to record the final out. Horwat provided critical stability for the Nittany Lions, delivering 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief with two strikeouts.

Penn State clawed back with a solo home run from Smith in the second and an RBI double from Yaucher in the fourth to tie the game 7-7. The deadlock was short-lived. In the top of the fifth, Penn State’s Bryce Molinaro launched a three-run homer to center field, momentarily putting the Nittany Lions ahead 10-7.

Texas Tech responded decisively in the bottom half of the fifth, retaking the lead for good. With the bases loaded, Thompson smashed a two-run double to center, tying the game. Lopez then lifted a sacrifice fly to give the Red Raiders an 11-10 edge, part of a four-run inning that made it 12-10.

The Red Raiders then pulled away, showcasing their power. Ferraro hit a solo homer in the sixth, and in the eighth inning, Rivers and Robin Villeneuve hit back-to-back solo shots to extend the lead to 15-13. Texas Tech reliever Jesse Rusinek earned the win with 1 1/3 perfect innings, while Penn State’s Matthew VanOstenbridge took the loss after allowing four runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Thompson led the Red Raiders’ 17-hit attack, going 4 for 5 with a double, two RBIs and three runs scored. Villeneuve went 3 for 5 with a home run, Ferraro and Quintanar each had two RBIs, and Garcia drove in three. For Penn State, which tallied 10 hits, Molinaro’s three-run homer was the highlight in a 2-for-5 performance.

With the victory, Texas Tech improved to 8-4 overall, while Penn State fell to 4-7. The teams continue their three-game series Saturday.

The result defied the pregame projection from Interstat, whose game simulator had predicted a 7-3 Texas Tech win and gave the Red Raiders a 66.6% probability of victory. The combined 22 runs and 27 hits far exceeded those expectations.