Put two top-10 teams on a baseball diamond and you can’t really expect a lot of success if you opt to sit around and wait for the other team to make a game-changing mistake.
There figures to be occasional chances in every game to force the issue, and that was exactly what Texas Tech did to give its slumbering offense an unorthodox jump-start Saturday against Oklahoma State.
The No. 7/6-ranked Red Raiders parlayed a well-placed bunt into a game-changing merry-go-round when Cowboys’ pitcher Justin Wrobleski didn’t make a clean throw to first base and right fielder Nolan McLean exacerbated things with a worse relay throw after he recovered the ball.
That play yielded two runs to snap a tie score and propelled Texas Tech to a 4-2 triumph to even the Big 12 Conference series at a game apiece.
Putting pressure on OSU’s defense, blended with another magnificent performance on the mound from Patrick Monteverde and a white-knuckle final inning by Micah Dallas, was the right formula after the Red Raiders’ 14-game winning streak came to a halt with a 2-0 loss on Friday.
In that setback, making things happen with runners on base was a problem, so this time Texas Tech coach Tim Tadlock didn’t wait for something to happen. Instead, he put one of his best hitters in a spot to change the game’s complexion.
Dylan Neuse began the 4th inning with a rocket to left-center field for a double and Wrobleski walked Nate Rombach on a full count to put two Red Raiders on base for the first time all day.
Cal Conley stepped in with his .373 batting average and 21 RBIs (second on the team) and pushed a bunt to the left side that Wrobleski pounced on quickly, but his throw was errant to trigger a play that generated two runs and left Conley on third base.
“People in the big leagues or in the rooms crunch all the numbers and say the sacrifice bunt is not a good play,” Tadlock said. “Obviously in the amateur game, it can be a good play. It’s part of the game. Cal executed it, we benefited from it.”
Braxton Fulford did his job as well, driving in Conley with a ground ball to shortstop for a 4-1 Texas Tech cushion.
Wrobleski got out of that inning with no more damage and logged 2 more scoreless frames. Justin Campbell finished up with two uneventful innings as the Cowboys (12-4-1, 1-1 Big 12) limited the Red Raiders (15-4, 1-1) to six hits.
But initiating the action made a difference and put Monteverde and Dallas in a comfort zone.
“I had full confidence in our offense,” Monteverde said after upping his record to 4-0. “Getting shut out a second game in a row wasn’t really a thought.”
Kurt Wilson remedied that before the fateful bunt-gone-wrong play when he zapped a Wrobleski pitch over the left-field fence for a 1-0 in the 3rd inning.
That came right after one of OSU’s missed chances to take the lead – this one self-inflicted.
Monteverde breezed through 2.1 perfect innings before Caeden Trenkle yanked a single through the right side. He moved up on a groundout and was at third base after Hueston Morrill’s wicked shot up the middle that Monteverde deflected but couldn’t recover.
On the third pitch to light-hitting Max Hewitt, Trenkle broke for the plate, but Monteverde calmly delivered to the plate and Fulford had the tag waiting for the baserunner.
The No. 14/11-ranked Cowboys did break through an inning later, but Jung helped minimize the damage with a nice stab on a line drive. It was one of several dazzling plays the Red Raiders’ top hitter made in the field: He dove for a ball in shallow right field to nail Brock Mathis in the 2nd inning and ended the 5th with another showstopper.
Jung was 0-for-3, just his third hitless game of the season, but still managed to be a star of the day.
“He’s known for his bat, but he really showed up with his glove,” Monteverde said.
Added Tadlock, “He played an outstanding second base (Saturday). Took at least two hits away if not three.”
Even with all that, the Red Raiders and their fans had to sweat things out in the 9th when the Oklahoma State bats finally came alive.
Dallas blazed through the 7th and 8th – getting a 3-6 double play and striking out the side. But McLean worked him for a leadoff walk in the final frame and Christian Encarnacion-Strand legged out a slow roller for hit.
Struggles getting on the same page between Dallas and Fulford led to two wild pitches, which came back to bite when Thompson blooped a single to left field to score McLean and put Encarnacion-Strand at third base. Another miscommunication resulted in a passed ball that allowed pinch-runner Jaxson Crull to scamper up to second base with the potential tying run.
Undaunted, Dallas struck out Alix Garcia looking then coaxed a routine fly ball to left field against Trinkle, who had two earlier hits.
“I was at a high in the 8th inning and the crowd had my back,” Dallas said after his first save this season. “I go back out there in the 9th and I lost that first batter and that’s something I have to work on – coming out there fully focused.”
He found his focus and Texas Tech found a way to nab its first Big 12 regular-season victory after the stumble on Friday.
“We’re all upbeat for sure,” Dallas said. “It’s like a basketball player finally seeing the ball go in the hoop, and that’s all you need sometimes. I’m very confident we’re going to keep going on this momentum.”
Added Tadlock, “Really proud of the way Patrick and Micah threw the baseball. They gave us a chance to win, guys played good defense and it was a fun game to watch.”
The teams collide at 2 p.m. Sunday with a shared chance to claim a series win on opening weekend. OSU will send right-hander Bryce Osmond (2-0) to the hill opposite Red Raider southpaw Mason Montgomery (1-0).
