Clutch swings give Tech a timely answer in 11-2 win that caps series sweep
Hits and runs were around in abundance for Texas Tech all weekend against Houston Baptist, and Sunday was no different in the series finale at Dan Law Field.
The Red Raiders encountered a welcome new twist, though, and the bats didn’t slow down, providing a positive spin to a dominant three-day performance.
Buoyed by an 8-run 4th-inning uprising, 10th-ranked Texas Tech blazed past the Huskies 11-2 in the last game of the weekend to wrap up a three-game sweep and even its season record at 3-3 after a rocky opening weekend against the highest level of competition the Red Raiders will see for a while.
Starting pitcher Mason Montgomery turned in a second consecutive promising 
effort with 5 sterling innings of work, but it was a handful of clutch swings – something that hadn’t really been needed in the first two games of the weekend – that were the big story.
The Huskies (1-5) put Texas Tech in that spot by grabbing their first lead of the series when leadoff man Nathan Soriano lathered Montgomery’s first pitch of the 4th inning for a solo home run to left field. Until that point, Montgomery had breezed through the first 9 hitters without a hiccup.
Meanwhile, HBU left-hander Austin Spivey had the Red Raiders equally knotted up with 3 scoreless frames, using a blend of off-speed offerings and effectively pitching backwards to frustrate an offense that had erupted for 26 runs in the first two games.
“He was able to keep us off-balance,” said Tech catcher Nate Rombach, who gave his team a little more breathing room with a two-out, two-run home run in the 7th inning, his second of the series and third of the season.
“He mixed his pitches well and had a few pitches working for him.”
Until he didn’t, and that was when the Red Raiders found the opening they needed.
Montgomery kept the deficit at 1-0 when he steered through more trouble after the homer, with Rombach’s back-pick at first base to nail Lane Botkin for the third out bouying Montgomery’s effort.
Dylan Neuse drew a four-pitch walk to open the Tech 4th and Cole Stilwell poked a single through the left side to give the Red Raiders two baserunners on base for the first time of the day.
Cal Conley smoked a ball that Soriano speared at third base, but his relay throw to second base in an effort to trigger a double play eluded second baseman Trent Franson and rolled into right-center field. Neuse dashed home to tie the game and the window of opportunity was suddenly wide open.
Kurt Wilson took a strike before hammering a pitch to left-center field that turned into a two-run go-ahead double and got Tech’s offense rolling.
“That was a big swing up to that point in the game,” Red Raiders’ coach Tim Tadlock said. “Their guy (Soriano) opened our guys’ eyes a little bit by hitting the ball out to left.
“We got a break on Cal’s ball, and once we got a break, (Spinney) had to make some pitches. It’s a little bit different animal when you get guys in scoring position.”
The Red Raiders didn’t settle for a 3-1 lead – not with blood in the water.
With one out, Braydon Runion waited Spinney out for a walk and Parker Kelly followed with an RBI single to left field. Spinney got the second out on a fielder’s choice but Jace Jung kept the line moving with an RBI hit that ended the day for the Huskies’ ace.
Neuse came up for the second time in the inning and walloped reliever Blake Bolgiano’s fourth pitch off the top of the fence in center field for a two-run triple. Stillwell capped the 8-run onslaught with a run-scoring single, the Red Raiders’ sixth hit of the inning.
“When we started scoring the runs, it was like a momentum switch,” Rombach said. “Everybody started hitting.”
And Montgomery made sure Houston Baptist didn’t have a means to respond.
With a seven-run cushion, Montgomery (1-0) got the Huskies quickly in the top of the 5th to keep that momentum in the Tech dugout. He finished his day with 5 strikeouts, 2 walks and only two hits allowed.
“When you’ve got the other guy shoving and you’ve got your defense, when I go out there, I sort of just focus on me, do what I can do, control what I can control, stay within myself and keep on dealing,” he said.
Added Tadlock, “I liked his composure, I liked the fastball command, liked the change. I thought he was very aggressive (Sunday) and attacked. He hit some targets along the way. He pitched down in the zone and let the guys play behind him.”
Houston Baptist managed to nick the Red Raider bullpen for a single run in 4 innings, but that was a world different from the previous weekend when the Tech relievers tended to pour gasoline on even the smallest of fires. Connor Queen allowed the run but was solid in 2 innings, while Levi Wells and Ryan Sublette each logged perfect frames to close things out.
Tech’s offense finished with 11 hits, 6 of those in 12 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Wilson, Neuse and Rombach had the multi-RBI swings, but there was plenty to like up and down the batting order.
The Red Raiders’ big inning was their third of the weekend when they scored 7 or more in an at-bat and their 37-run rampage in three games was anchored by seven innings when they pushed multiple runs across the plate.
“We want to take the good from this weekend, reflect on it and focus on the good, but also focus on the bad and see what we can change and make adjustments on,” Rombach said.
Next up for Tech is its first mid-week action this season when Texas Southern comes to town for a two-game series. Tadlock said Micah Dallas and Chase Hampton will get the ball in those two games.
Recapping the Huskies | Game 1
Recapping the Huskies| Game 2
