Texas Tech Baseball (20-5, 2-0) found themselves in another slugfest with the Texas Longhorns (18-7, 0-2) Saturday but once again Red Raider pitchers and hitters stepped up in big moments to lift Texas Tech to a Big 12 opening series win. For the second day in a row, an extra-innings walk-off lifted Texas Tech to a thrilling victory over their conference foe Texas, and for the second day in a row, it was Kurt Wilson making it happen in the final big moment of a day full of big moments.
“These are the games you live for. It’s the reason you play baseball,” said Texas Tech starting pitcher Brandon Birdsell. “You don’t play baseball to beat a team 20-0, you want it to be close, you want it to be exciting. This is the reason we play, that’s just it.”
Texas jumped out to a two-run lead in the first inning on a two-run home run by red hot Ivan Melendez. It was only the second time in the season Birdsell gave up a run in the first inning, and it was the first long ball he’d surrendered all year. Melendez did plenty of damage Saturday. The El Paso Coronado product went 5-5, 3RBI, 2HR, 4R, BB and has reached safely in 12 consecutive plate appearances dating back to the Longhorns’ Tuesday night game against Central Arkansas.
“I don’t know I’ve ever seen anybody as hot as Melendez,” said Texas Tech Head Coach Tim Tadlock. “He’s doing a really good job of going pitch to pitch and he’s hitting balls out and he’s running around the bases and next thing you know he’s up again. You know that’s how you’re supposed to play the game of baseball, he’s actually a pleasure to watch. You know there’s not a lot of extra stuff there and it’s plus power.
You’d have thought he was just putting it on a tee. We’ve pitched him every way you can think of pitching him. Right, left, in, out, up, down and seems like he’s hitting it.”
Texas Tech responded to the early 2-0 deficit by plating seven in the bottom of the first. For the second day in a row, Easton Murrell came up big in his first at-bat of the game, this time it was a first-pitch home run for Murrell past the Tech bullpen to begin the hit parade. Five of Tech’s six hits in the frame came against Texas starter Tristan Stevens with Ty Coleman, Owen Washburn, and Hudson White all accounting for RBIs.
Tech ran Stevens in the first inning with no outs recorded. Stevens came into the game with a 1.17 ERA, but he exited after facing seven batters with a 3.23.
Parker Kelly lit up reliever Marcus Olivarez with a two-RBI double down the left-field line for the final two runs of the frame. That was Kelly’s first of two doubles down the line in the game. After a red-hot start to the season, Kelly has been scuffling recently and was 0-15 over Tech’s last four games coming into today, but he made his presence known to the Longhorns on Saturday.
Both teams hung zeroes on the scoreboard for the next three innings, but the Longhorns struck again in the fifth with back-to-back solo home runs from Melendez, his second of the day and thirteenth of the season, and Murphy Stehly who was also 5-5 with two bombs. Those jimmy jacks cut Tech’s lead to three and a three-run seventh from the Horns tied the game and the tension advanced to a new level.
Birdsell went five innings Saturday and struck out seven with no walks. That puts him at 31 strikeouts in his last three starts and he surpassed 50 strikeouts on the season. Birdsell responded well to adversity working around four multi-hit innings to get out of jams or retire the Longhorns in order to follow. After the Melendez/Stehly home runs, Birdsell retired the side in order in his final inning of work.
“If you want to succeed at this level, that’s what you have to be able to do,” explained Birdsell. “You can’t let whatever it is effect your outing or your mentality, you’ve got to just move forward and move past it. You can’t let anything effect how you’re going about your business, if you do that’s when you’re done.”
The Longhorns walked into the eighth tied with the Red Raiders, and they plated four in that frame to take an 11-7 lead. Some of the Red Raider faithful began to exit the ballpark, but they pulled the trigger a bit early. Wilson started the Tech rally with a lead-off triple in the eighth, his third triple of 2022, and Washburn followed with a walk. White sent a sac fly to center field to score Wilson and Kelly worked a one-out walk. A two-RBI double to the wall from Murrell and an RBI single from Cole Stilwell knotted the game back up to set up another incredible ending for the Red Raiders.
In the tenth, Douglas Hodo, III pounded a two-out RBI double to center field. Dillon Carter laid out and almost created another full-extension highlight-reel catch. Carter trapped the ball and quickly hit his cutoff man in Jung, who relayed to home looking to gun down the second run. The throw popped out of Stilwell’s mitt as Kennedy slid around him reaching for the plate. Stilwell kept his wits about him, gathered the ball back in, blocked the plate, and tagged Kennedy as he lunged for the plate in a second attempt.
An extended review confirmed both that Carter did not make the catch, and that the 8-6-4 with the second effort by Stilwell did in fact end the frame with an out. Derek Bridges was in for the two outs of the tenth that saw this action and he ultimately earned his first win of the season as well. The bullpen had bright spots for Tech Saturday as Shay Hartis turned in a scoreless inning in his turn in the seventh and 1.1 innings for transfer Bo Blessie in the ninth and tenth were some of the tensest moments of the day with the sellout crowd at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park hanging on every pitch.
The Red Raiders walked into the bottom of the 10th trailing 12-11.
Aaron Nixon, who earned the loss in the Friday game that ended with Wilson’s walk-off steal of home, took the ball in the tenth for the Longhorns. Kelly’s second double down the left-field line led off the frame and Stilwell sent a one-out shot back at Nixon. He tried to go home but it wasn’t in time putting Stilwell aboard and scoring Kelly.
Jace Jung followed with his 25th walk of the season to load the bases and Nixon, who earned the loss, gave way to Andre Duplantier, II. Cody Masters pinch hit for his first plate appearance of the season, a welcome return after dealing with an extended illness. He hit into a fielder’s choice that saw Dalton Porter, pinch-running for Murrell, eliminated at home but left the bases loaded with two outs. After starting the rally with a triple, Wilson looked to end it in dramatic fashion and then smoked 1-0 pitch over the right-field wall for a walk-off grand slam that not only clinched the Big 12 opening series win over the Longhorns but also further cemented him into the lore of great moments in Texas Tech Baseball.
Wilson was asked to choose his favorite moment he’s been a part of as a Red Raider. “I don’t know if I can pick a favorite moment, honestly all three of those moments I’m just very thankful for and praise the Lord he puts me in those situations and lets me come through for my team,” said Wilson.
KURT WILSON PLAYS HERO AGAIN!!!!!
GRAND SLAM WALK-OFF TO BEAT TEXAS, 16-12!!!!! pic.twitter.com/ke4FsBQTnz
— Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) March 26, 2022
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/fUicC5T9d8
— Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) March 26, 2022
The Red Raiders will go for the sweep over the Texas Longhorns Sunday at 2:00 pm. The live stream will be available on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with radio call available on Double T 97.3 FM and in their listening area, as well as through The Varsity Network App.
Mr. Wilson Steals Home to Walk Off the Horns
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