Texas Tech Baseball Defeats Delaware 5-2 To Open Lubbock Regional

The Texas Tech baseball team defeated Delaware Friday afternoon to open the regional round of the NCAA Tournament thanks to strong work from the bullpen and timely hitting.

The Texas Tech baseball team conquered a familiar foe on Friday. The opponent on the score board was the Delaware Blue Hens, which Tech was facing for the first time this season but once again the weather interjected itself into the Red Raiders’ plans.

And once again, Tim Tadlock’s team was unfazed. Texas Tech notched a 5-2 victory in the opening game of the NCAA Tournament despite having to fight through an inclement weather delay an hour and forty minutes in length.

This was the fifth time this year that the Red Raiders have had to deal with Mother Nature. The team faced a similar delay in its first game at Wichita State in March and in game two versus TCU in April. Furthermore, Tech had games against Ohio State and West Virginia cancelled or postponed due to adverse weather conditions.

In all five instances, Texas Tech won the suspended game or the fame following the stoppage of play. So while the weather might have been an inconvenience on Friday, it did not disrupt Texas Tech’s home dominance. The Red Raiders now have a remarkable 23-5 record at Rip Griffin Park where they will play the rest of their games prior to the College World Series.

The suspension of the game caused sophomore starter Davis Martin to exit what was just his second start since April after only 1.1 innings. The Red Raiders are counting on Martin to retun to the form that made him a freshman all-American last season and this year’s Friday night starter prior to a shoulder injury that cost him almost two months of action.

Fortunately, the bullpen was up to the task. Relievers Caleb Kilian, John McMillion, Jacob Patterson and Parker Mushinski combined for 7.2 innings of effective relief against a potent Delaware lineup.

Kilian picked up his sixth win of the season after tossing 3.2 innings while allowing two runs on two hits. Mushinski tossed a perfect ninth inning for the save as the Red Raiders moved on to the winner’s bracket.

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Offensively, Texas Tech scratched out three runs against Delaware ace Ron Marinaccio who entered the game with an ERA of 1.69. He started the game and returned to the hill after the weather delay to toss 6.1 innings.

One telling stat for the Texas Tech bats was the three strikeouts they totaled against Marinaccio. He entered the game with 65 punch-outs in just 58.1 innings but the Red Raiders made him work.

By being patient at the plate and putting balls in play, Tech was able to get into the Hen’s bullpen. That turned out to be a huge factor when shortstop Orlando Garcia belted a two-run homer off Burk FitzPatrick in the bottom of the 8^th to give Tech some cushion headed into the final frame.

While the bats did just enough to secure the win, the play of the game came from freshman third baseman Josh Jung. With Tech holding a one-run lead in the top of the sixth, Jung snagged a line drive at his ankles and tossed the ball to second base while falling down backwards for the double play.

Needless to say, Tadlock was impressed with the acrobatic play.

"“… What was more amazing (than the catch) was for him to have the feel to get it out of his glove and feather it to the guy at second, who was going to be late to the bag because how he caught it. It was amazing to catch it, but even more to feather it.” He told the “Lubbock Avalanche Journal” ."

Though Texas Tech is the top seed in the regional and was heavily favored to beat Delaware, Friday’s victory was crucial. In the double-elimination, four-team regional format, the team that begins the weekend with two victories places itself in a commanding position to advance.

Should the Red Raiders prevail today, they would be in line to win the regional in three games. However, a loss Friday would have forced them to win five consecutive games in order to avoid elimination.

The Red Raiders will face No. 3 seed Sam Houston State tonight at 6 pm CST. The Bearkats defeated second-seeded Arizona last night 5-4.

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Tech will have its ace Steven Gingery on the hill. The Big 12 Pitcher of the Year is 9-1 with a 1.69 ERA this season. The winner of tonight’s matchup will be just one win away from closing out the regional and moving on the next weekend’s Super Regional round, the final step before the College World Series.

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