Texas Tech baseball advances to Big 12 semis with win over Kansas

Thanks to a late power surge from the Big 12’s best offense, the Texas Tech baseball team advanced to the Big 12 tournament semifinals with Friday’s 7-5 win over Kansas.

For the Texas Tech baseball team’s first two games of the Big 12 tournament, the long ball was absent from the Big 12’s top offensive attack. But Friday, Tim Tadlock’s team belted three key homers in a 7-5 win over Kansas to stave off elimination and set up a rematch with West Virginia on Saturday.

Gabe Holt’s two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh proved to be the final margin and capped a Red Raider comeback that began with Kansas up 4-0 in the top of the second after the Jayhawks plated two runs in each of their first two trips to the plate. Fortunately, Red Raider starter Bryce Bonnin settled down after that to keep from allowing another run in his five innings of work.

The sophomore was far from sharp allowing five hits and walking five batters while striking out five Jayhawks. Though it took him 96 pitches just to record 15 outs, he was able to give his offense an opportunity to find itself after a slow start.

A sac fly from Kurt Wilson got the Red Raiders on the board in the bottom of the third and an RBI single from Holt cut the deficit to two runs an inning later. But Tech was unable to draw any closer until the sixth.

That’s when Big 12 Co-Player of the Year Josh Jung sent a line drive over the wall for a solo shot, his 10th homer of the season. And with two outs, Wilson connected on a two-run bomb to put the Raiders up for the first time in the game, 5-4.

Perhaps inspired by the Red Raiders, KU responded with their own solo shot in the top of the seventh to tie the game. But that simply set the stage for Holt’s heroics.

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An unlikely candidate to win a game with a long ball, Holt has just three round-trippers on the season. But in the Big 12 Tournament, he has been the Red Raiders’ best hitter.

After going 3-4 with 3 RBI Friday, the sophomore right fielder has gone 6-12 this week in Oklahoma City while driving in a team-best four runs in the last three games. For the season, he is now hitting .333 with 33 RBI and 48 runs scored.

Holt and first baseman Cam Warren were the only Red Raiders with multiple hits against Kansas. Warren, the Oklahoma City native, went 2-4 at the plate as he continues his strong play in his home state.

In relief of Bonnin, Tech received three solid innings of relief from Connor Queen and Dane Haveman. Queen picked up the win, his fourth of the season, thanks 2.2 innings of work in which he allowed a run on two hits. But the homer he allowed in the seventh snapped a scoreless innings streak of 12.1.

Haveman was credited with the save after recording the final four outs of the game. Allowing only one hit, the lefty picked up his first save as a Red Raider.

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Tech now moves on to face West Virginia on Saturday. For the Red Raiders to advance to Sunday’s title game, they will have to take two games against the Mountaineers, who are 3-1 against the Red Raiders this season including Thursday’s 5-1 win in Oklahoma City.

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