The Texas Tech baseball team beat Texas 7-2 on Saturday at Dan Law Field/Rip Griffin Park, evening the first Big 12 series at one game apiece.

Starting pitcher Mac Heuer went six innings, striking out a season high eight and holding the Longhorns to two runs on three hits. Batterymate Dylan Maxcey backed Heuer by going 3 for 4 with a home run and four runs batted in.

No. 17 Tech (11-3, 1-1) and No. 22 Texas (8-6, 1-1) finish the series at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Here are three takeaways.

Mac Heuer helped the Red Raiders turn the page

Texas won the series opener 22-8, a 20-hit bludgeoning in which the Longhorns blasted two grand slams and two three-run homers. Heuer drew the line on Saturday, not bad for a true freshman pitching in what he described as the biggest setting in which he's ever pitched.

Heuer gave up solo homers to Max Belyeu and Porter Brown, but pitched out of trouble unscathed in a couple of other innings.

Stay ready, Dylan Maxcey

Last year, Maxcey was Texas Tech's No. 2 catcher, commonly starting Saturday afternoon games after a Friday night game. When starting catcher Hudson White transferred, instead of promoting Maxcey, the Tech staff moved top draft prospect Kevin Bazzell from third base to catcher.

Maxcey didn't have an at-bat in the first five games of the season, but with Bazzell missing the past six games on account of an illness, the sophomore from Friendswood's taken advantage of an extended opportunity. His three-run double at New Mexico drove in what proved to be the game-winning runs in an 11-8 victory.

On Saturday, he stroked a sinking liner for a two-out RBI single in the second and hit a long home run to left in the fourth for a 5-2 lead. He singled home another run in the seventh.

Gavin Kash OK up top

Tech coach Tim Tadlock said this week he's coming around on the idea of putting your best hitters at the top of the lineup, even if it means a power hitter is higher up than the 3-4-5 spots. It's increasingly popular in Major League Baseball.

Gavin Kash, coming off a 26-home run season batting in the middle of the order, is batting leadoff lately for the Red Raiders and went 4 for 5 with a two-run double Saturday. He's 14 for 30 since being moved to the leadoff spot on March 1.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech baseball takeaways: Mac Heuer sets tone in win over UT