It was a Sunday doubleheader at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park that saw the Red Raiders (5-2) take down Kent State (1-5) in the early game 8-1 and then 7-5 to follow. Brandon Birdsell and Mason Molina got the respective starts and each turned in strong performances of 7 strikeouts apiece. Birdsell went 5.0IP and earned the win to improve to 1-1 on the season.
“For me today it was all about just competing,” said Birdsell. “I didn’t have my greatest stuff but I was able to just go out there and compete and that was what was working well for me.”
Molina, who exited after 3.0IP in the second game, retired the first 7 batters he faced in order, striking out 6. But he saw his pitch count run into the 70s early, fueled in part by an impressive 15-pitch at-bat by Kyle Jackson that resulted in a walk. Perhaps more impressive was that this was the second 15-pitch at-bat of the day. Texas Tech DH Ty Coleman put together a similar feat in the eighth inning of the first game but he made it count with an RBI double to the left-field wall to score Dillon Carter.
“About pitch 10 got a little tired. I mean just trying to get the ball in play, two outs trying to get a hit, trying to score Dillon Carter from third,” explained Coleman. “And then 15th pitch of it he [Caden Leonard] left one over the plate, made a good swing on it.”
Baseball aficionados may appreciate the 15-pitch at-bats more than the casual fan, but it was something to see. Head Coach Tim Tadlock deadpanned, “You guys oughtta put those like on Twitter or something, really pretty impressive. I mean really that’s pretty impressive by both guys – Instagram, something.”
Coleman’s long at-bat in the eighth of game one wasn’t his only impressive work at the plate this weekend. He went 3-5 in the front end of the doubleheader, including batting in runs with two doubles. The second game was one that will have Red Raider fans telling stories around the water cooler as Coleman sent a solo shot out of the yard in the third inning to give Tech a 3-0 lead. He stepped into a big opportunity in the seventh with one out, two men on, and Tech trailing 5-4, and it was a first-pitch no-doubter that gave Tech the lead and ultimately the win.
Coleman who walked into the Kent State series hitting .231 on the season seems to have found a groove. After going 6-13, 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI this weekend, Coleman now leads the Red Raiders in batting average (.346), hits (9), doubles (tied-2), home runs (2), RBIs (11), slugging percentage (.654) and he is tied with Dalton Porter for the second-lowest number of strikeouts at 4 (Hudson White leads at 3).
“I feel good. Definitely different but it’s closer to home, I know a lot of people around here and it’s awesome to feel the warmth and embracement already from everybody in the community around here,” said Coleman of being at Tech and heating up as the season progresses.
Birdsell added, “I’ve been teammates with Ty since freshman year and he’s always been the same guy. Same swing, same work ethic, he’s just always been a grinder.”
Jace Jung and Carter were two more Red Raiders who seemed to begin finding their mojo at the plate. Jung went 0-4 with a walk and a run in the front end of the doubleheader, but in the second game mashed a two-run tater in the first inning, laid down a bunt single in the fifth, and worked an RBI groundout to first base in the seventh to pull Tech within one run before Coleman did his damage.
Carter led off the first game with a home run out of right field and tacked on a single and scored a run in the eighth of the first game. He followed going 1-3 with a walk and 2 runs scored in the second. Dalton Porter and Parker Kelly both contributed a multi-hit game on Sunday and Hudson White finally got his first collegiate hit and it was a big one, an RBI double to score the final run of the first game.
Not to be overlooked in this doubleheader Sunday was the Red Raider bullpen. Colin Clark and Shay Hartis combined for a 1-hitter over 4 innings and had 5 strikeouts to only one walk in the first game. In the second it was Josh Sanders, Kyle Robinson, Derek Bridges, Jase Lopez, and Trendan Parish all contributing to a 6 inning effort. They combined for 8 strikeouts and 2 walks and Parish earned his third save in three appearances.
The Red Raiders will be back in action on the road Tuesday against Dallas Baptist University at 2:00 pm. The radio call will be available on Double T 97.3 FM in Lubbock and on The Varsity App, there is no tv broadcast or stream scheduled.
