DALLAS – It was a tight contest Tuesday that saw likely and unlikely heroes emerge for the #19 Red Raiders (6-2) who played their second consecutive midweek game against the Dallas Baptist Patriots (4-4). It took 10 innings, 7 pitchers, a pinch hitter, and a pinch runner but Texas Tech boarded the bus for the drive back to Lubbock with a 6-2 record secure as they head towards a stretch of six games in six days.
Dallas Baptist did all they could to keep the Red Raiders on their heels, using eight pitchers in the midweek contest and none for more than two innings. DBU has been a program on the rise for some time, they’ve battled for respect and have become a consistent postseason baseball team for whom many think it is only matter of time before they break through to Omaha. As a mid-major, games like this are an opportunity to make your case. There is no doubt they played knowing that a home win against the Red Raiders would be an RPI boost and a resume builder for the postseason conversation.
Ty Coleman, who received dual honors of Big 12 Player of the Week and Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after hitting .471 with 11 RBIs (four of which came against DBU in Lubbock a week ago) and 2 HRs last week, led off the second inning with a double high off the left-field wall. He was brought home two batters later with a sac fly to right field by Dalton Porter. Coleman made a stellar slide but was called out at the plate following a frozen rope throw from right field. Coleman immediatley signaled the dugout for the review and the call was indeed overturned in favor of the Red Raiders.
In the bottom half of that inning, a two-out walk by the Patriots was followed by a two-run home run by former Red Raider Nate Rombach, his second of the season. Following Porter’s RBI were 5.1 scoreless innings for the Red Raiders, who left 7 batters stranded over that span.
Chase Hampton was strong once again going 5.0IP, 2H, 2R, 2BB, 7K. He’s carrying an ERA of 4.09 and is averaging better than a strikeout per inning with 12 in 11.0IP on the season and has walked only five.
The upcoming schedule for the Red Raiders is interesting and it’s important to point out that Hampton should not be viewed as Tech’s fourth starting pitcher. These two Dallas Baptist games were almost as important for Tech as for the Patriots. With expectations of this team mixed in the preseason, and a 1-2 start in Arlington, the Red Raiders have needed quality wins as well and Hampton and company have answered the call.
The Red Raiders will now host Merrimack for four games over the weekend and head to Biloxi, MS to take on Mississippi State in a two-game stand that will most decidedly not be a neutral site. That begs the question: Who will all of the starters be in the upcoming stretch and what will the rotation look like to follow? That remains to be seen, but Hampton has done solid work in two very difficult midweek starts against a salty DBU team and I’d expect to see him in more than a midweek role as the inevitable pre-conference play shuffle plays out.
In the top of the seventh, Jace Jung came to the plate with Dillon Carter on second base and Cole Stilwell on first after drawing back-to-back walks. Jung put together an exceptional at-bat and sent a 10th pitch moonshot deep to right field. It left the bat looking like a hero ball that would give Tech the 4-2 advantage after trailing 1-2 since Rombach’s tater. But Jung’s fly was caught at the warning track as the excitement of the strong Red Raider contingent fizzled.
Dallas Baptist further subdued the Road Raiders with a leadoff double by George Specht. He was moved around to third on a Brendan Girton balk and batted home with an RBI single to right field by 9-hole DH Luke Heefner, extending the DBU lead to 3-1. The Tech faithful, however, would not be kept quiet for long.
Kurt Wilson got aboard with a one-out single and Hudson White stepped in batting .045 on the season. After finding his first collegiate hit in the front end of the Sunday doubleheader against Kent State, the freshman catcher turned around a 2-2 offering by Peyton Sherlin and sent it screaming over the left-field wall for a two-run shot and a tie ballgame.
In the top of the tenth, Jung drew a leadoff walk for his 12th base on balls of the season, a mark which has him tied for first in the NCAA. A stack of a Coleman single, Wilson fielder’s choice, and Ryan Brome (pinch-hitting for Porter) RBI fielder’s choice followed to score Jung and Tech took the 4-3 lead.
From that point forward, the combined efforts of Jamie Hitt, Jase Lopez, Derek Bridges, Shay Hartis, and Trendan Parish had the Red Raiders’ destiny in their hands. Together they posted 3.1 IP of 2-hit, scoreless baseball giving up only 1 walk and booking 5Ks in the late innings. Parish earned his fourth save of the season with his trademark fire and attitude on the mound. His moxie is earning him fans, and his clutch pitching performances will quickly begin turning heads around the country for the fiery freshman from Poolville, TX.
The Red Raiders return home for a four-game stand hosting the Merrimack Warriors this weekend. They get underway Friday at 6:30 pm at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park. Saturday is a doubleheader with offerings scheduled for 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm and the Sunday matchup slated for 1:00 pm. All four games will be streamed live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with radio available on Double T 97.3 FM in Lubbock and on The Varsity Network app.
TTU08
