STILLWATER – It was a game that left the Texas Tech faithful gnawing on their fingernails until the last moment, and it sent social media savvy observers scrambling to tag Sports Center in replays time and time again. The #9 Red Raiders (33-16, 12-7) took down the #3 Oklahoma State Cowboys (34-15, 13-9) Friday in a thrilling 7-6 win in Tech’s first visit to O’Brate Stadium.
Andrew Morris (7-0) hung tough with one of the hottest teams in the country in front of a crowd of more than 5,500. The Cowboys hung runs on the board first when left-fielder Jake Thompson took a hanging breaking ball deep after a one-out walk was issued prior to his at-bat. Following the bomb, Morris allowed only 2 hits over the next 3 innings and retired 6 Cowboys in order across the third and fourth frames.
Morris got plenty of run support in the fourth inning as three extra-base hits led to a five-spot in the frame for the Red Raiders. Kurt Wilson led off the inning with a triple and an RBI double by Owen Washburn immediately followed, sending Wilson scampering home to make it a 1-2 game. Parker Kelly reached on a walk and Easton Murrell wore his 22nd HBP of the season to load the bases. That’s when Cole Stilwell stepped into the batter’s box.
Stilwell demolished a ball onto the left-field concourse that bent foul. His timing of Cowboys’ starter Justin Campbell stayed true and he sent an absolute no-doubter into the netting protecting the video board in left field. Stilwell knew it immediately and left the box with the double guns up already aloft. His grand slam was Tech’s sixth of the season and it turned the game over for the Red Raiders making it a 5-2 lead.
𝔾ℝ𝔸ℕ𝔻 𝕊𝕃𝔸𝕄#NCAABaseball x 🎥 @TTU_Baseball pic.twitter.com/rleF8EYzci
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) May 14, 2022
Stilwell put together an exceptional evening, reaching safely in all five of his plate appearances as he finished 2-2, HR, 4RBI, 3BB. The go-ahead salami was his eighth home run of the season. Washburn also was solid at the plate with two doubles on the day, accounting for half of Texas Tech’s extra-base hits.
The Red Raiders’ defense showed up time and again with strong plays throughout the evening as well. Stilwell was excellent at first base, stretching and digging out throws and handling unassisted groundouts consistently.
In the sixth, Morris’s day came to an end after a leadoff single to shortstop, an HBP, and a single to left loaded the bases with no outs. Derek Bridges entered and after a strikeout and sacrifice fly was near working out of the jam when one-hole hitter Roc Riggio laid down a bunt up the 3B line. Kelly charged, barehanded the bunt, and fired off-balance for an inning-ending out in an MLB-worthy display of athleticism.
Goodness gracious 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙚 is insane 😮@ParkerKelly22 bare hands it and saves a run to take us to the 7th with a 6-4 lead. #SCTop10 | #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/TbRR8YxqWh
— Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) May 14, 2022
Tech carried a 6-4 lead into the seventh inning and the Cowboys began clawing back, first with a towering 513-foot solo home run over the left-field video board. The Red Raiders extended their lead back to two when a wild pitch scored Dillon Carter who’d reached on a leadoff single in the eighth.
The ninth would set up another memorable finish in a season replete with nail-biting situations for the team from Lubbock. After Mason Molina finished the eighth inning with two strikeouts and fiery emotion not often seen from the freshman, Josh Sanders made his way out for the ninth. After two groundouts, Sanders surrendered a double into the right-center field gap and gave way to Brandon Beckel. A walk and RBI single left runners on the corners as Andrew Devine entered the game looking for his first save of the season with the winning run on first base.
Devine scuffled, struggling to find the strike zone in the four pitches he tossed. His final pitch bounced and squirted away and in front of Tech catcher Hudson White. The wild pitch drew the baserunner from third base and White initiated a rundown. After the first toss to Kelly at 3B, he attempted to chase down the runner and then short-tossed to Stilwell who applied the tag on the sliding Cowboy to end the game and secure the series-opening win for the Red Raiders.
Turn out the lights, the party’s over!
It’s a great day to be a Red Raider‼️ pic.twitter.com/n5Sq58s8D4
— Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) May 14, 2022
Texas Tech sits in a tie for second place in the Big 12 with the Oklahoma Sooners, who downed West Virginia 15-1. Oklahoma State holds onto first place and TCU (14-8) sits in second after handling Kansas 15-6. According to WarrenNolan.com, Texas Tech’s RPI moved up five spots to #36 after the conclusion of Friday games across the country.
Texas Tech and Oklahoma State will face off Saturday as the Red Raiders look for the series win in Stillwater. First-pitch is scheduled for 6:00 pm. The live stream will be available on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with the radio call available on Double T 97.3 FM and in their listening area, as well as through The Varsity Network App.
OSU-Texas Tech 1