By Wendell Barnhouse
Big12Sports.com Correspondent
TULSA, Okla. – If there's a cure for what ails Texas, it's facing Texas Tech in the opening game of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship.
The fifth-seeded Longhorns, who are now 5-0 when facing the Red Raiders in the opening game, got a strong pitching performance from senior Parker French and clutch plays from center fielder Zane Gurwitz to edge No. 4 seed Texas Tech, 2-1, Wednesday in Game One.
The Longhorns (27-25) came to ONEOK Field needing to capture the trophy and the NCAA automatic bid that goes with it.
"We came in knowing it's on the line for us," said Gurwitz, who went two for three. "That's what drove us today. We had to win."
Texas will next face play No. 8 seed Baylor at 4 p.m. Thursday while Texas Tech will take on TCU at 9 a.m. Thursday. The Bears knocked off the top-seeded Horned Frogs, 6-5, in Game Two.
After being benched for a game in the Baylor series last weekend, Gurwitz returned to the lineup and made statements with his bat and his glove.
"To come out and play well, it means a lot to help us win this game," Gurwitz said.
Gurwitz scored the winning run in the top of the seventh as UT added to its 1-0 lead without getting the ball out of the infield. Gurwitz walked to lead off the inning, moved up on a sacrifice bunt. Pinch hitter Bret Boswell rolled a soft grounder that Texas Tech second baseman Bryant Burleson threw wide of first to allow Gurwitz to score.
"We make a routine play and it's a one-to-one game," Texas Tech coach Tim Tadlock said. The difference in the game was hitting in scoring position; they got a couple of knocks when they needed and we didn't."
In the previous half inning, Texas Tech (30-23) came within a few feet of a two-run homer when Stephen Smith, who leads the Red Raiders with 10 homers, drove it deep to left center but Gurwitz made the catch as he collided with the wall. Gurwitz also made a diving catch to start the bottom of the third inning.
The Longhorns jumped on top in the second inning. Facing Texas Tech left hander Cameron Smith, the Longhorns stacked their lineup with right-handed hitters. The only lefty in the lineup, Shaw, tripled with two outs.
"He put a good swing on a fast ball that was belt high," Smith said. "As a hitter, that's what you're looking for."
Gurwitz followed with a double to give UT a 1-0 lead.
"We played this lineup not because we were up against a left handed pitcher but because this is the lineup that scored 11 runs against Baylor," Texas coach Augie Garrido said.
The Longhorns lost the chance to add to their lead in the top of the third. With two outs Joe Baker singled and C.J. Hinojosa doubled to the left-center field gap but Baker fell rounding second and had to stop at third.
French, who was potentially pitching in a UT uniform for the last time, threw 127 pitches and ended the game getting a called third strike on Tim Proudfoot.
"Our game was driven by Parker French and some good defense behind him," Garrido said. "Zane made a good catch and made it look easy. We also got some timely hitting with two outs."