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Texas Tech baseball: Red Raiders dominate HBU for first win of season

By Matthew Conner

Jun 19, 2019; Omaha, NE, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Tim Tadlock walks in the dugout prior to the game against the Florida State Seminoles in the 2019 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 19, 2019; Omaha, NE, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Tim Tadlock walks in the dugout prior to the game against the Florida State Seminoles in the 2019 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Friday in Lubbock, the Texas Tech baseball team demolished Houston Baptist 18-3 to pick up the season’s first win.

To begin the 2020-21 athletics season, the Texas Tech football team almost fooled around and lost its season opener to Houston Baptist hanging on for a 35-33 win.  Friday afternoon in Lubbock, the Texas Tech baseball team got no such scare from the Huskies in an 18-3 win that opened the home slate for the nation’s No. 10 team.

Called after six and a half innings, the Red Raider blowout featured six homers by Tim Tadlock’s team and some solid work on the mound from a pitching staff that was battered at times last weekend as Tech got off to an 0-3 start in Arlington, Texas falling to Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State, each of which is currently ranked in the top 10.

The fact that Tech was off to its worst start since 1994 meant that most expected the Red Raiders to take out some frustration on the Huskies this weekend and that’s what happened in game one.

The fireworks started with an 8-run second inning.  That frame included a two-run shot from Nate Rombach and a grand slam from Cole Stilwell.  In the third inning, Tech would plate seven more runs thanks to a 3-run homer from Jace Jung (who had a pair of long balls on the day) and a 2-run shot from Cal Conley.  After that, the outcome was academic.

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In all, Tech would bang out 21 hits with eight Red Raiders having at least two base knocks.  But perhaps the more important development was what happened on the mound.

After an opening weekend that saw the Red Raider pitching staff battered to the tune of 29 runs in three games, Tadlock saw three pitchers limit the Huskies to just five hits in seven at-bats.  And it was a surprise starter who got the nod to open the game.

After appearing out of the bullpen in his Red Raider debut, JUCO transfer and former Texas A&M hurler Brandon Birdsell made his first start for Tech.  In 4.1 innings of work, he allowed three runs (two earned) while walking only one and striking out two.

With a fastball hitting as high as 98 MPH on the stadium radar gun and sitting in the mid-90s all afternoon, the righty from Willis, Texas was impressive.  Perhaps this was his first step towards staking a claim to one of the regular weekend rotation spots.

Meanwhile, Nick Gorby and Chase Webster would each help close out the win in relief.  Gorby tossed 1.2 scoreless innings while Webster closed out the game with a scoreless top of the 7th as the game was called in the middle of that frame.

Tech returns to the diamond for game two against HBU tomorrow at 2 pm.  And hopefully, the rest of this 3-game set goes as swimmingly as Friday’s opener did.

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