LUBBOCK, Texas (Interstat) — The Texas Tech Red Raiders erupted for six runs in a chaotic bottom of the first inning and never looked back, cruising to a 12-2 victory over the New Mexico Lobos in nonconference baseball action Tuesday evening at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.

The game’s decisive moment came immediately after the Red Raiders halved an early two-run deficit. New Mexico had taken a 2-0 lead in the top of the first without a hit, capitalizing on a walk, a hit batter, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly. Texas Tech starter Adam Hayes then settled in, ending the threat.

In the home half of the first, the Red Raiders sent 11 men to the plate against Lobos starter Tyler Do. The inning featured five singles, two walks, a stolen base, and two critical New Mexico errors. Kevin Thompson led off with a triple and scored on Damian Shouse’s groundout. Logan Hughes and Linkin Garcia followed with singles, and Gabe Ferraro drove in Hughes with a single to tie the game. Garcia scored on a single by T.J. Quintanar, and Ferraro came home on a single by Owen Rusinek.

The inning unraveled further for the Lobos when Rusinek stole second. On the play, a throwing error by the catcher allowed Quintanar to score, and another error on the same sequence let Rusinek cross the plate, capping the six-run outburst and staking Texas Tech to a 6-2 lead.

That early cushion was more than enough for Hayes, who earned the win. The right-hander delivered five strong innings, allowing four hits and no earned runs while striking out four. His performance stabilized the game after the offensive explosion and stifled any hope of a Lobos comeback.

New Mexico’s bullpen provided some relief, as Tommy White, Seth Edgerton, and Seth Lee combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings of hitless relief. But the Texas Tech bullpen was equally dominant. Following Hayes, Logan Addison, Johnny Lowe, and Jacob Rogers each tossed a perfect inning of relief, with Addison and Lowe each recording two strikeouts.

The Red Raiders added two more runs in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Garcia and an RBI groundout from Hughes. They put the game completely out of reach with a four-run eighth inning, fueled by three bunts, a walk, a fielding error, and a two-run single from Garcia.

Garcia finished 2 for 3 with three RBIs. Hughes drove in two runs. Thompson had three hits, scored three runs, and was a catalyst throughout the lineup.

For New Mexico, which managed just six hits, pinch-hitter Garrett Rede had an RBI double in the sixth, and Damian Garcia added a sacrifice fly. But the Lobos could not string together a sustained rally against the Red Raiders’ pitching staff.

With the win, Texas Tech improved to 16-8 overall. New Mexico fell to 15-10. The Red Raiders are scheduled to open a three-game Big 12 series at TCU on Friday. The Lobos will host Fresno State to begin Mountain West Conference play on Friday. The two teams are set to meet again in Albuquerque on April 7.