ARLINGTON — For six innings, it looked like Texas Tech Red Raiders were ready to punch first in 2026.

Then the seventh inning showed up.

Tech dropped its season opener 10-3 to Oklahoma Sooners at Globe Life Field in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown, but don’t let the final score fool you. This one was a grinder early — a heavyweight sparring match that turned into a late-round knockout.

Jackson Burns gave the Red Raiders exactly what you want from an Opening Day starter: toughness. The right-hander worked around five walks, stranded traffic in multiple innings and allowed just one run before exiting in the fifth. It wasn’t spotless, but it was competitive baseball.

Unfortunately for Tech, Oklahoma’s Cameron Johnson was operating on another level. The 6-foot-6 righty struck out 11 Red Raiders — a career high — across six innings, firing 105 pitches and controlling the tempo from the jump. When Tech did put the ball in play, it rarely came with authority.

The dam finally broke late.

Oklahoma launched three home runs over the final innings, including a ninth-inning grand slam that turned a manageable deficit into a scoreboard avalanche. What felt like a tense 3-2 type of battle morphed into a double-digit statement.

There were chances. There were moments. But Texas Tech couldn’t find the timely swing that changes everything in games like this.

Opening weekend in Arlington doesn’t offer sympathy. The Red Raiders now pivot to a marquee showdown with Vanderbilt Commodores, another national-caliber test waiting at high noon.

If Tech wants to make noise in 2026, the response has to be immediate.