Texas Tech baseball: Red Raiders beat OSU; one win from Omaha

The Texas Tech baseball team downed Oklahoma State 8-6 Friday in game one of the Super Regionals to move one win away from a College World Series appearance.

In a game that felt like a heavyweight prize fight with both teams trading blows all afternoon, the Texas Tech baseball team got two huge plays from their best player, Josh Jung to take the first game of the Lubbock Super Regional. Just four days after being selected by the Texas Rangers with the No. 8 overall pick in the MLB Draft, the Red Raider shortstop provided the game-winning home run and a game-saving defensive play to propel his team to an 8-6 win over Oklahoma State in the first game of the Super Regional.

Going 2-5 on the afternoon, Jung belted a solo homer on the fist pitch in the bottom of the seventh to put Tech up 7-5. The bomb to right center field helped stem the tide of Oklahoma Sate momentum as the Cowboys had scored three unanswered runs as they tired to claw back into the game against an uncharacteristically shaky Red Raider bullpen.

Receiving another strong effort on the mound from freshman starter Micah Dallas (5.0 innings, three runs and a career-high nine strikeouts), who picked up the win to move to 7-0 on the season, the Red Raiders jumped out to a 3-0 lead after three innings. Center fielder Dylan Neuse brought home two runs with a two-out single to left in the second and DH Cody Masters belted a solo shot to center in the third helping stake the home team to an early lead.

After OSU struck back with two runs in their half of the fourth, Tech answered in the bottom of the frame with a run on a Brian Klein single and two more on a dropped fly ball by Cowboy center fielder Trevor Boone to lead 6-2. And with the game seemingly in control at 6-3 after the Cowboys launched a solo homer in the fifth, Tech head coach Tim Tadlock turned to his bullpen to start the sixth. That’s when the drama began.

Lefty Dane Haveman and his 2.08 ERA came on to allow two runs in 1.1 innings of work. It was just the second time this year that the junior has allowed more than one run in a single appearance.

Taylor Floyd was next to the mound and though he did not allow a run in his 0.2 innings, he was not as effective as we have come to expect. Perhaps that was a result of an awkward follow-through when he appeared to twist a knee or ankle after delivering a pitch. Though he would remain in the game, he was far from his usual self as he allowed two hits and a walk in the seventh.

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And the final out Floyd registered was one of the closest calls of the game for the Red Raiders. With the bases loaded and OSU trailing 6-5, Cowboy catcher Colin Simpson filed out to deep center field with Neuse making the catch with his back against the wall.

But the drama was far from over. With the Red Raiders up just 7-6 in the top of the eighth and the tying run on second, OSU shortstop Navigato, Andrew sent a grounder up the middle where Jung made a diving stop, jumped to his feet and fired the ball to first to end the inning and drawing a fiery gesture of gratitude from Tech reliever John McMillon, who had already allowed an unearned run in the inning.

It was a brilliant defensive stop from the converted third baseman and disproved the notion from some pro scouts that had been questioning whether or not he is athletic enough to play elite defense at third base as a Major Leaguer.

Fortunately for McMillon, when he returned to the mound for the ninth, he had a two-run lead thanks to a Klein sacrifice fly in the eighth. And though his fastball did not approach 100 mph as it did in the final game of the regional against Dallas Baptist last weekend, McMillon was able to record the save by striking out the side.

It was far from a clean game as both teams made critical errors that led to unearned runs. And it was a strange game as well. Tech third baseman Easton Murrell had his glove knocked off his hand and into the air by a screaming line drive in the 8th just one hitter after his error put the leadoff man on base. The ball ended up in right field for a double setting up OSU with runners on second and third and no outs but McMillon was able to get out of the inning by allowing only a run.

And in the ninth, OSU’s Simpson had his metal bat break off at the handle in his hands as he swung at a pitch. Apparently the husky, Simpson put a little extra muscle in his swing knowing that he would have to catch up to one of McMillon’s heaters.

But though the Red Raiders played a rather sloppy game with errors and misplays in the field and a runner picked off of first base, they were able to pick up a critical win in game one of the Super Regional. It marked the third time in the program’s four Super Regional appearances that Tech has jumped out to a 1-0.

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Tech and OSU will return to action Saturday at 5 pm. The Red Raiders will send top starter Caleb Killian to the mound opposite Cowboy lefty Scott Parker looking to clinch the series and return to Omaha for the second-straight season.

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