WACO – The Texas Tech (31-15, 11-6) offense jumped all over the Baylor Bears (21-22, 4-13) Saturday taking a 5-0 lead early and never looking back. It was another day punctuated by clutch hitting for the Red Raiders as they plated 6 two-out RBIs for the second day in a row en route to a .357 day at the plate with two outs and .500 with runners in scoring position.
Easton Murrell continued his climb up the Texas Tech record books as 2022’s Dr. Plunkenstein. Murrell, who has led off games with a home run five times this season, led off Saturday’s offering in Waco with a hit-by-pitch for the fourth time this year. Murrell followed with another HBP as part of a five-run second inning to reach 20 HBP this season. That total moves Murrell up to a tie for third in the record books for HBP in a season. He’s tied with Eric Gutierrez’s 2016 and 2018 20-plunk seasons. Murrell will need 5 more to tie Jamodrick McGruder (2011) for second on the all-time list.
Ty Coleman and Kurt Wilson set the table in the second with back-to-back singles to start the frame and an RBI-double down the right-field line from Parker Kelly put the Red Raiders on the board first. Coleman’s single missed leaving the yard by just inches from the top of the left-field fence. Hudson White drew a one-out walk and Dillon Carter sent a sacrifice fly to right-field to score Wilson. Murrell’s second HBP followed and Cole Stilwell came up with a two-RBI double to left to plate two more. Jace Jung was stranded by a Coleman flyout after booking his first of two hits.
The Bears responded in the bottom of the third inning with their first hit of the day, a solo home run by Jacob Schoenvoegel, they would not hang another run on the board the rest of the way.
Brandon Birdsell (7-2) scuffled by his standards in his eleventh start of the season. The reigning Big 12 Pitcher of the Week opened the game with an uncharacteristic four-pitch walk. Birdsell issued 4 walks to only 4 strikeouts and gave up 5 hits, but he successfully worked around the baserunners throughout his 7 innings of work with the assistance of the defense behind him who turned two double plays on the day.
Birdsell gave way to Kyle Robinson in the eighth, he fanned the first batter he saw and then surrendered a double. The following hitter sent a comebacker off of Robinson who exited the game immediately. He was observed in the dugout later with ice on his wrist.
Derek Bridges took over retiring the next two Bears in order. Shay Hartis took care of the ninth with another hitless and scoreless frame. The Texas Tech bullpen has combined this weekend for four scoreless frames giving up only two hits, one of which was a single on the injury to Robinson.
The Tech offense booked two more singles in the scoreless third but then went quiet with 12 hitters going down in order. But with two outs in the seventh, Jung sent his second hit of the day through the right side and Coleman followed with a walk. Wilson then pounded a first-pitch no-doubter over the left-field wall for his eleventh home run of the season, tying Jung for the team lead. Wilson booked his second consecutive three-hit game of the weekend, he’s 6-for-8 with 2 2B, HR, and 3 RBI in Waco.
Verify this man. BIG KURT takes the first pitch he sees DEEP. @Kurtwilson14 | #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/9qDlqXQ9GI
— Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) April 30, 2022
Tech tacked on three more in the ninth as Stilwell reached on an error to start the frame, Jung followed with a walk, and an RBI-double by Coleman made it 9-1 in favor of Tech. An RBI-groundout by Wilson and second RBI-double of the day by Kelly completed the scoring.
Every Red Raider hitter contributed Saturday as 8 batters reached safely with 7 scoring, 7 contributed hits, and Carter got in on the action via the sacrifice fly.
The Red Raiders will look for their second Big 12 series sweep of the season Sunday at 1:00 pm at Baylor Ballpark in Waco. The Red Raiders last swept Baylor in 2015 in Lubbock.
If Tech gets the Sunday win, they will move into a tie with TCU for second in the Big 12 standings. The Horned Frogs are in a non-conference series this weekend facing Florida State in Tallahassee; TCU has lost that series (0-10, 2-7). The live stream will be available on the Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with the radio call available on Double T 97.3 FM and in their listening area, as well as through The Varsity Network App.
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TTU46 Box Score