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Texas Tech baseball takes game-two from Sooners to win series

By Matthew Conner

OMAHA, NE - JUNE 27: Detail of the statue welcoming fans to Rosenblatt Stadium before the men's 2010 NCAA College Baseball World Series between the UCLA Bruins and the South Carolina Gamecocks on June 27, 2010 in Omaha, Nebraska. This is the final season the College World Series will be held at Rosenblatt Stadium. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
OMAHA, NE - JUNE 27: Detail of the statue welcoming fans to Rosenblatt Stadium before the men's 2010 NCAA College Baseball World Series between the UCLA Bruins and the South Carolina Gamecocks on June 27, 2010 in Omaha, Nebraska. This is the final season the College World Series will be held at Rosenblatt Stadium. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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The Texas Tech baseball team knocked off Oklahoma 7-3 Saturday afternoon in Norman to claim the final road series of the regular season and keep pace in the Big 12 title race.

Tim Tadlock’s Texas Tech baseball team pushed its Big 12 winning streak to seven games Saturday afternoon by powering past Oklahoma 7-3 in Norman.  After falling behind 2-0 in the fifth inning, the Red Raiders scored seven unanswered runs including a go-ahead two-RBI double from Brian Klein and the eventual game-winning two-run homer from Josh Jung in the 7th to take a five-run lead into the bottom of the 9th where reliever Dane Haveman shut the door, but not before making the game interesting.

In its final at-bat, Oklahoma plated a run on a sacrifice fly and had the tying run at the plate with the bases loaded when Haveman struck out Oklahoma right fielder Brady Harlan to end the game.  In what was yet another stellar performance from the best pitching staff in the Big 12, three Tech hurlers held the Sooner bats in check despite giving up twelve hits.

As expected with two of the better starters in the conference on the mound, runs were at a premium for most of the afternoon.  Tech starter Caleb Killian tossed five innings, giving up only two runs on six hits (both coming on a 5th inning homer by Sooner catcher Brady Lindsly).

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Meanwhile, OU starter Levi Prater held the vaunted Red Raider lineup off the board for the first 5.2 innings until DH Cole Stillwell drew a bases loaded walk to drive in Tech’s first run.  After that, a battle of the bullpens was decidedly in Texas Tech’s favor.

While Tech releivers Connor Queen and Haveman gave up just one run in four innings of work, four OU releivers combined to allow six runs in three innings with each giving up at least one.  For the Red Raiders, Queen earned the victory after 2.2 innings of scoreless work in which he allowed two hits and walked two.  Meanwhile, OU sophomore lefty Ledgend Smith took the loss by surrendering two runs in just a third of an inning of work.

Though the Red Raider offense was slow to get going against Prater, who surrendered only three hits, they came alive late just as they did in Friday’s series-opening 10-6 win.  Gabe Holt went 3-5 with an RBI and a run scored while first baseman and Friday night’s hero Cam Warren continued his hot streak at the plate going 2-3 and drawing two walks.

The win helped the Red Raiders keep pace with the Baylor Bears in the Big 12 regular season race.   Baylor took a pair of games from Kansas State in Waco on Saturday to maintain its 1.5 game lead over the Red Raiders.

While both teams have four conference games remaining, the conference title race may wind up being decided by the whims of Mother Nature.  Back on April 7th, the final game of a 3-game set between Baylor and Texas was cancelled due to inclement weather.  That turned out to be a blessing for the Bears because at the time that the game was called by the umpires, the Longhorns held a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd.

As a result, the Bears will have one fewer Big 12 game on their record meaning they will have to lose at least two of their final four games (they close the regular season with three games at Oklahoma State) while Tech would have to win their final four by completing the sweep of OU and sweeping TCU in Lubbock.  And unless Tech has one of its final four games cancelled, there will not be any possibility of a tie in the standings.

But for now, Tech must simply continue to focus on what it can control; continuing to play the type of baseball that has positioned the Red Raiders as one of the hottest teams in the nation.  Tech has captured three-straight Big 12 series and is once again positioning itself as a likely candidate to host one of the NCAA regional tournaments.

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Tech and OU will complete their series Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN U.  Sophomore Bryce Bonnin (3-1, 5.68 ERA) will take on Sooner righty Ben Abram (3-1, 3.21 ERA).

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