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Texas Tech baseball beats TCU; moves into first-place in Big 12

By Matthew Conner

BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 17: Baseball gloves sit on the field before a baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards at on August 17, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 17: Baseball gloves sit on the field before a baseball game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards at on August 17, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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After beating TCU 7-2 in Friday night in Lubbock, the Texas Tech basketball team is just one win away from a Big 12 title thanks to some help from Oklahoma State.

With one game remaining in the regular season, the Texas Tech baseball team has full control of its own fate as it pertains to the Big 12 title race.  After beating TCU 7-2 Friday night at Rip Griffin Park, Tech vaulted past Baylor, which lost its second straight game at Oklahoma State, to sit atop the conference standings.

The Red Raiders rebounded from one of the most frustrating games of the season, Thursday’s 3-1, 14-inning defeat, to even the three-game series with the Horned Frogs.  And as has been the case for so much of this season, it was the pitching that led the way.

Junior starter Caleb Killian was again fantastic tossing seven complete innings while allowing just two runs (both earned) on six hits.  Moving to 8-2 on the season, Killian struck out seven hitters while walking just one.

The Flower Mound native has not lost a game since March 22 having picked up the win in eight of his last nine starts.  In that span, he’s allowed no more than four runs in any appearance while tossing at least five innings each time out.

Fellow junior Connor Queen pitched the final two innings of the game, allowing just two hits.  In 11.1 innings pitched this year, Queen is yet to surrender a run.

It was key for the Red Raiders to be able to spare their bullpen after burning five pitchers in Thursday night’s marathon.  In that game, Tech pitchers combined to throw 240 pitches with starter Micah Dallas tossing 96 while reliever Jonh McMillon gave head coach Tim Tadlock 58 and Taylor Floyd racked up 40.

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Another huge difference between Friday night’s game and the series opener came at the plate where the Red Raider bats returned to their prodigious ways.  After failing to score a run until the bottom of the 11th inning on Thursday, Tech got on the board in its first at-bat of game-two thanks to an opposite field homer from Gabe Holt.  The right fielder had a big night at the plate going 3-5 and scoring two runs.

After a TCU homer tied the game in the 3rd, Tech answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame thanks to a RBI double from center fielder Dylan Neuse (who also threw a runner out at home plate for the second-straight game) and a RBI bible from second baseman Brian Klein.   An inning laster, back-to-back homers from left fielder Kurt Wilson and third baseman Parker Kelly extended the lead to 5-1.

Leading 5-2 in the 7th, Klein drove home another run on a sacrifice fly and in the 8th, catcher Braxton Fulford added an insurance run by beating out an attempted double-play relay to drive home Cam Warren.  In all, Tech collected eleven hits and struck out just three times in what was a return to form after striking out 19 times and stranding 16 runners on base in the series opener.

And while the Red Raiders were taking care of the Frogs, Oklahoma State was doing their part by beating Baylor 5-4 in Stillwater.  That means Tech will clinch the Big 12 regular season title on Saturday with a win over TCU or a Baylor loss to the Cowboys.

However, Tech is also competing with OSU in terms of potentially earning a top-8 national seed in the NCAA Tournament.  After Thursday’s games, the Cowboys jumped one spot ahead of the Red Raiders in the RPI rankings.  OSU sits at No. 10 while Tech is at No. 11 with each virtually assured of hosting a regional but hoping to also be guaranteed of hosting super regionals (should they win their regional) by being one of the top eight seeds in the tournament.

Tech fans would hope that the selection committee would take into account the Red Raiders’ three-game sweep of the Cowboys back in April.  In what was their most dominant series of the year, the Red Raiders outscored the Pokes 27-6 in a matchup of ranked teams.

But for now, the goal is to win another Big 12 regular season title.  It would be the third conference title of the Tim Tadlock era and give Texas Tech its fourth Big 12 title of the spring to go along with the championships claimed the the men’s basketball and indoor and outdoor track teams.

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The series will conclude Saturday night at 6:30 central.  The Red Raiders will hand the ball to sophomore Bryce Bonnin (4-1, 4.78 ERA) while TCU will turn to lefty Brandon Williamson (3-4, 4.21 ERA).  The game will be televised on ESPNU.

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