Tech Rolls to Sixth Straight Series Win Over Cowboys

Tech Rolls to Sixth Straight Series Win Over Cowboys

By / / Leave a Comment

After an 8-7 extra-inning walk-off win for the #22 Red Raiders Friday night and a dominating punch back Saturday by #12 Oklahoma State in a lopsided 9-4 victory, it was anyone’s guess how Tech’s first rubber match of the season would play out.

On Saturday, the Cowboys (16-5, 1-2) took an early lead and the Red Raiders (18-4, 2-1) hung around close until a big eighth inning sealed it up for the Pokes. Sunday played out in a similar fashion, albeit more excessively when a 10-run fifth led Tech to the most lopsided win in the history of the series and extended their dominance to taking 16 of the last 19 games over the Cowboys. The Red Raiders haven’t lost a series to Oklahoma State in the regular or post-season, since 2017.

Game 1: The First Rule of Baseball is Never Leave Early
Game 2: OSU Snaps Six-Game Losing Streak to Red Raiders

Both starting pitchers dealt with a difficult start and both were bailed out by their defenses behind them in the first inning.

On the Texas Tech side, Taber Fast had the ball for the Red Raiders and after striking out Roc Riggio looking to start the game, Aiden Meola pounded a triple to the outfield fence and was knocked home by David Mendham immediately after. Fast initiated a pickoff that went 1-3-4-3 to eliminate Mendham at first base. After Nolan McLean worked a walk to follow, Hudson White gunned him down at second base to end the frame. 

The defense for Tech was solid Sunday and turned in their second error-free game of the weekend adding to the Saturday performance. Cumulatively, Tech booked only one error all weekend, coming on Friday. Oklahoma State, who entered the weekend with only 9 total errors, committed four Friday and two more Sunday.

On the other side, MLB Draft Top 40 prospect Juaron Watts-Brown got the start that had been expected since Friday. He was not sharp early, and the Red Raiders loaded the bases in the first inning, but a double play bailed him out of the jam and he went on to retire the side in order.

Fast mirrored Watts-Brown by retiring the side in order in the second as well. He allowed two more baserunners in the next two innings but none made it into scoring position. For Watts-Brown, the Red Raiders took the lead in the third after a leadoff walk in a 10-pitch plate appearance put White aboard and a wild pitch moved him into scoring position.

Gage Harrelson hit his eleventh double of the season to bring White home, and Harrelson ended up standing on third with the help of an error in center field. Kevin Bazzell sent a sacrifice fly to center to bring Harrelson in giving Tech the 2-1 advantage.

The score sat there through the fourth and it looked like a tight baseball game was in store, but the Red Raiders had other plans.

White one again led off the fifth, this time with a double into the left field corner. Harrelson reached on an error by the shortstop and Bazzell juiced the bases with a walk and only one out. Then someone played Austin Green’s music.

“This lineup, up and down, talent all the way around,” said Green. “Three really competitive at-bats before me gets the bases loaded. Elite arm on the mound, really good slider. I sat slider, got one up in the zone, put a good swing on it.”

Green’s first-pitch grand slam was an impressive ball, Tech’s second grand slam and his sixth tater of the season. The switch hitter batted left-handed throughout the day but has been comfortable hitting with power from both sides of the plate this season.

A strikeout followed Green’s salami putting two outs on the board, but the Red Raiders weren’t finished yet. Gavin Kash found his third hit of the weekend to get aboard and Damian Bravo smoked another home run over the left field fence for the third dinger of his collegiate career, and his fourth career hit.

Tracer Lopez and White would hit back-to-back singles following a pitching change after Bravo’s rod. Then Nolen Hester, Harrelson, Bazzell, and Green would contribute four consecutive RBI singles to make it a 10-run and 10-hit inning for the Red Raiders.

“This is the best group of hitters I’ve ever been a part of,” said Nolen Hester after the game. “When every single one of us is up there swinging the bat hot like that, you don’t think anybody’s going to get out. And you don’t want to make an out because you know how good you are and you know how good everyone behind you is. So you just want to pass it to the next guy and let them keep going, I don’t think there’s an arm that can beat us in the country.”

The mindset of the Red Raiders is becoming more and more apparent as the season progresses. Players have said many times that this is not a team with an ounce of quit in it and they have a hunger to prove what kind of team they are. A sentiment that Hester echoed as well.

“That right there is a really, really good team [Oklahoma State] and Coach Tadlock talked to us last night and was telling us that we had to come out today and championship teams win on Sundays, you win your series on Sunday or you sweep on Sundays. That’s what we came with the mindset of ‘if we want to be a championship team we’ve got to go out and win on Sunday,’ and especially against their best guy too. We’ve got to walk out there and play good and beat their best guy, and that’s exactly what we did.”

Fast gave way to Brandon Beckel (3-0) after 3 2/3 in his start. Beckel sat through the long fifth inning and retook the mound for Tech in the sixth. After two quick outs he found himself with two men on via walk and hit-by-pitch but he fanned a Cowboy hitter for the final out and then some chirping ensued.

After a boisterous appeal at the plate from OSU Head Coach Josh Holliday to the home plate umpire, and after multiple long on-field conversations, it appears that Beckel was ejected from the game. Head Coach Tim Tadlock refused to confirm this in postgame availability but if that is the case and nothing changes, Beckel could receive a four-game suspension according to NCAA rule 2-26-e which says in part:

“Whenever a pitcher is ejected for disputing an umpire’s decision or for unsportsmanlike conduct or language directed at an opponent or umpire (including a post-participation ejection), the suspension will be for a total of four (4) games.”

If so, Beckel would be unavailable for the series in Austin against the University of Texas.

Despite not shedding light on the particulars of the situation or the conversation with the umpires, Tadlock did, however, express his opinions about the game itself.

“College baseball is supposed to be played with some emotion and big league baseball, when it’s played with it, is really fun to watch. And so the kid [Beckel] played with a lot of emotion. The unfortunate part is there was a warning, earlier in the game, and it was a much milder time in the game quite honestly.”

Manhandling the Pokes | Dinger Derby

After appearing today, Beckel lowered his ERA to 0.64 over 14 innings of work this season, he’s limiting opposing hitters to a paltry .164 average. Ryan Free entered to take it the rest of the way for Tech and tossed a scoreless and hitless frame. Free is the only Red Raider pitcher with a WHIP below one as he sits at 0.84, and his .149 opponent batting average is the lowest on the team among pitchers with double-digit innings under their belt.

The controversial portion of the game overshadows what was an exceptional pitching performance by the Red Raiders as they hung six scoreless innings in a row Sunday and, coupled with the offensive explosion, sealed up a run-ruled travel day game in seven innings. It was the first time Texas Tech has held Oklahoma State to one run since April 8, 2016.

With this victory, Texas Tech improved its overall series over Oklahoma State to 48-45, Tadlock’s record over the Cowboys now sits at 23-12.

The Red Raiders will not have a midweek opponent and will head to Austin for a series with the Texas Longhorns. The first pitches are set for 7:00 pm Friday, and 2:30 pm Saturday and Sunday. The radio broadcast will be available on Double T 97.3 FM in Lubbock and on The Varsity App, and the game will be televised on The Longhorn Network

TTUBox22

Start typing and press enter to search

Scroll to Top