Texas Tech Baseball Beats Louisville To Win Lubbock Regional

The Texas Tech baseball team is headed to the Super Regional Round of the NCAA Tournament after locking off Louisville 11-6 Sunday night in Lubbock.

If it is an even-numbered year, it must mean that the Texas Tech baseball team is headed to a Super Regional. Under head coach Tim Tadlock, Texas Tech has now reached the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three even-numbered years thanks to an 11-6 victory over Louisville Sunday night in Lubbock.

The Red Raiders dominated the Cardinals for the second-consecutive night becoming the first team in five years to keep Louisville out of the Super Regionals. Tech belted 14 hits off the beleaguered Cardinal pitching staff just one night after racking up 10 more hits in a 10-4 win that propelled the Red Raiders to the Regional Championship round.

Senior designated hitter Zach Rheams led the way going 4-4 with 5 RBI including a three-run homer in the first inning to put Texas Tech up 4-0 before Louisville was able to get their footing. That outburst helped give Texas Tech starter Davis Martin the type of cushion that he needed to break out of a month-long slump.

Martin tossed five innings allowing just two runs on five hits in his longest outing since May 4th and the first time he allowed fewer than five runs in a start since April 20th. Fortunately, in the biggest game of the season, Martin picked up his seventh win and showed the form that he displayed in his freshman and sophomore seasons when he was one of the top starting pitchers in the game.

If Texas Tech continues to get that type of performance from Martin, the Red Raiders’ starting rotation suddenly becomes a strength thanks to the work of sophomore Caleb Kilian and senior Dylan Dusek, both of whom were effective this weekend.

The Texas Tech bullpen had its first shaky performance of the weekend allowing four runs to give the Cardinals late hope of a comeback. Caleb Freeman gave up three runs in the bottom of the 8th as Louisville cut the Texas Tech lead to 9-6.

However, the powerful Texas Tech bats answered in the top of the ninth. Rheams belted a solo shot and Cody Farhat singled home Cameron Warren to push the Tech lead to 11-6 and put any thoughts of a meltdown to rest.

The regional final win provided a bit of redemption for Tadlock and his team following last season’s regional loss. Tech lost twice to underdog Sam Houston State at home a year ago after starting the regional with two wins.

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But this year is an even-numbered year which has meant magic for Texas Tech under Tadlock. Since Tadlock took over the program in 2013, Tadlock has won the only three regional titles in program history in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Now fans hope that history continues to repeat itself as in 2014 and 2016, Tech advanced to the College World Series.

The Red Raiders do not yet know who their Super Regional opponent will be. The Athens, Georgia regional is yet to be completed due to a rain delay on Saturday that pushed the games back a day.

Georgia and Duke are set to decide their regional Monday at which time Texas Tech will know its foe. Should the favorited Georgia Bulldogs prevail, Tech will play a road Super Regional for the the first time in program history but should Duke win, next weekend’s games will be back at Dan Law Field.

But regardless of the opponent, the Texas Tech baseball team looks like it is going to be a tough out with the way it is playing. In sweeping the regional, Tech outscored its opponents 30-12 while playin its best baseball in over a month.

Next: Texas Tech Beats Louisville 10-4

But what else should fans expect from Tim Tadlock’s team? It’s an even-numbered year after all.

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