Conley & Fulford Go Yard in Game 1 Regional Victory - Red Raider Dugout

Conley & Fulford Go Yard in Game 1 Regional Victory

A freshman started and won, a starter got a save, a 4-hole hitter executed a perfect 2-out RBI drag bunt, an injured pitcher started in left field, and a catcher hit his 14th homerun of the season. Welcome to the NCAA Baseball postseason.

The Red Raiders went down 2-0 early to the Army Black Knights Friday morning as West Point executed their style of baseball characterized by strong fundamentals, small ball, and capitalizing on opponent errors. But behind big bats and big pitches, the Red Raiders took the lead in the third and kept it getting a 6-3 victory to open the Lubbock Regional with a marquee matchup on tap for Saturday at 8pm.

Leading up to the weeekend, Cal Conley picked up his first All-American honor of 2021 with a Second Team nod from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. He was also named a finalist for the Brooks Wallace Award by the College Baseball Foudation, annually given to the nation’s top shortstop.

So expectations were sky-high walking into the Game 1 matchup with Army, who were making their 2nd trip to Lubbock in as many regionals – and Conley answered with a big swing. Following a Jace Jung single, the switch-hitting shortstop sent a no-doubter over the Texas Tech dugout for a go-ahead one-out homerun.

Conley wasn’t done yet as he sent another one over the fence in the 5th inning, this time a one-out solo shot to give him his 15th tater of the season and the Red Raiders what would be their final run of the day.

Braxton Fulford was not to be left too far behind in the internal power battle as he hammered a two-out two-run shot of his own pushing the Tech advantage to 3 runs in the fourth, his 14th of the year. That Fulford bomb to left scored Kurt Wilson, who smoked a leadoff shot down the right field line for a standup double.

Wilson, who broke his thumb sliding into third base against TCU, had made three pitching appearances since the injury. Today he returned to the field, and the plate, with a start in center field. Wilson later moved to left field with defensive substitutions in the sixth inning.

That substitution saw Easton Murrell exit the game following an error in the fifth that almost resulted in an inside-the-park home run for Army. Murrell recovered the ball, hit his cutoff Jung, who delivered a strike to Fulford for a thrilling out at the plate that was upheld after a challenge by Army Head Coach Jim Foster.

Fulford completes the tag following the 9-4-2 putout and negating the single/E9 that sent Hunter Meade streaking for home. Photo by Michaela Schumacher | Texas Tech Athletics

Dru Baker took over duties in right, Wilson moved to left, and Dillon Carter entered the game in center field. In the postgame, Head Coach Tim Tadlock was asked about the move.

“It had 0% to do with the play in the inning before. It had more to do with trying to get three of four at-bats out of him [Wilson] and have some margin for error and have a lead, and put our best defender in center field,” said Tadlock.

The Red Raiders have been prolific offensively in 2021, with today’s victory marking their 19th multi-home run game and 13th with at least 3 dingers. But not to be lost in the haze of the fireworks is Tech’s leadoff pitching performance of their fifth consecutive regional hosting opportunity.

Freshman Chase Hampton got the nod for the Game 1 start and emerged with the victory and a 4-0 record on the season. The hard-throwing right-hander out of Kilgore, TX went 6 innings for the second time this season tossing surrendering 7 hits, 1 earned run, but notching 7 strikeouts to only one base on balls.

“I felt like my 2-seam and my slider were a good mix today. I some across the plate with the 2-seam but the slider was really good, kept it down. So that was a pretty good pitch today,” explained Hampton.

Hampton expressed what the big swings from Conley and Fulford meant from his standpoint on the bump.

“Oh that was a huge relief. My thing is when we have runs just go out there and pitch with the lead and I thought as a defensive group we did a really good job of playing defensively.”

Chase Hampton prepares to deliver against Army West Point, he tallied 7 strikeouts en route to his 4th win of the season. Photo by Michaela Schumacher | Texas Tech Athletics

Connor Queen followed Hampton turning in two innings in relief. Queen surrendered only one hit but it was a big one over the left field wall to Jeremiah Adams to reduce Tech’s lead to 3. After a 6-4-3 double play ended the 8th for Queen, in perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend Micah Dallas entered the game for Tech in the 9th for the save.

Dallas made quick work of the Black Knights setting them down in order with a groundout, lineout, flyout. He earned the save in 11 pitches and left the door open for continued availability later in the weekend although probably not for a start.

“Yeah Micah’s willing to do whatever we ask him to do, which is a testament to how good of a teammate he is,” said Tadlock. “He’s thrown a lot of really big pitches in his career, thrown a lot of big pitches this year as a starter. We just felt like going into this postseason that we were at our best when he was down there in the bullpen and gave us that option.

Obviously, him pitching in the game today would most likely take him out of the equation as far as for a starter for the weekend. But that’ll be something we look at day-to-day and week-to-week as we go. Just felt like to have the ability to run the table here, we need him down there,” Tadlock concluded.

The Black Knights move into the losers bracket and will face the loser of Friday night’s game on Saturday at 2 p.m. Playing a service academy is always an interesting affair and it was clear both Foster and Adams were facing emotions after a hard-fought game.

“As a coach, you always like to look at the development of your program…I’m proud of the way they played today,” said Foster. “Last time we were here against Texas Tech it felt like we were happy to be here and this time out I felt like we were trying to win a ballgame. We were trying to execute, everyone’s head was in it, everybody was doing what they should be doing. It was just a good ballgame all the way around.”

Foster pointed out that every senior on this team, including Adams who joined him in the postgame media availability, are now 2nd Lieutenants in the United States Army, a point not lost on Tadlock.

“Boy I tell you Army is to be commended, Coach Foster and his team are, they’re a tough group of kids. Obviously, we appreciate everything the Army and the military does for our country. It’s different playing them. Chase [Hampton] and I were just talking about how disciplined they are in all phases of the game. It’s refreshing to watch the game played that way,” said Tadlock in his opening statement.

Jeremiah Adams celebrates with Kevin Dubrule following a solo home run in the 7th inning giving Army West Point their 3rd run of the day. Photo by Michaela Schumacher | Texas Tech Athletics

The Red Raiders are the first in the Lubbock Regional to enter the winner’s bracket. They’ll play Saturday night at 8 p.m. against the winner of the game between North Carolina and UCLA, who play Friday night at 6 p.m.

Both are marquee teams in college baseball with 16 College Word Series appearances between them. The Tar Heels most recently were in Omaha with Texas Tech in 2018 and UCLA, the consensus preseason #2 team in 2021, last made the CWS in 2013. The Bruins saw a 52-11 season come to an end at home in Jackie Robinson Ballpark when they lost in the Super Regional to the hands of the eventual National Runner-Up Michigan Wolverines.

G1 – TTU 6, Army 3

 

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