Texas Tech baseball: Red Raiders take series from Oklahoma State

This weekend at Rip Griffin Park, the Texas Tech baseball team took two of three games from No. 14 Oklahoma State.

The Texas Tech baseball team opened Big 12 play this weekend in Lubbock by taking two of three games from No. 14 Oklahoma State. It was an important statement for Tim Tadlock’s team as it marked the first time this year that the Red Raiders have picked up a win over a ranked team.

But the weekend got off to a bumpy start as the Red Raiders were shutout on Friday night. In the 2-0 loss, Tech was 0-7 with men on base and stranded 10 runners.

But the good news is that Red Raider starter Brandon Birdsell was solid tossing seven complete innings (a career-high) while striking out nine batters and giving up two runs (only one earned). However, in what is a rare occurrence, the Red Raider bats were kept silent all night as Tech managed just six hits.

Fortunately, on Saturday, the Red Raiders would rebound with a 4-2 win. And the game-changing play was an act of charity by the Cowboys.

With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 4th inning, Tech’s Cal Conley laid down a sacrifice bunt with the intent of moving the two runners on base up 90 feet. But Oklahoma State pitcher Justin Wrobleski threw the ball down the right-field line, nearly all the way to the outfield wall, allowing both Dylan Neuse and Nate Rombach to score. Each team would add another run in the game with Tech’s coming later in that inning but this Cowboy error proved to be the defining moment of the contest.

On the mound, Patrick Monteverde got the start and continued his strong season by tossing six complete innings of one-run baseball. He was relieved by Micah Dallas who allowed just one run in three innings to close out the game.

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Sunday, things got a little tight in the ninth inning as a furious Cowboy comeback fell just short. With Tech leading 6-5, OSU would load the bases after already plating two runs in the inning. Fortunately, Red Raider reliever Derek Bridges would register a strikeout to end the game and preserve the win.

For a while, it appeared as if this game was going to be a breeze for the Red Raiders. Thanks in part to a two-run homer by Jace Jung, the Red Raiders would build a 6-1 lead by the bottom of the 5th. However, Tech would be held scoreless over the final four innings as the Cowboys tried to battle back.

But Tim Tadlock’s team would hold on for the one-run win to clinch the series. It was important to pick up this series as it marked the first time this year that Tech has had success against a ranked team.

In the season’s opening weekend, Tech dropped three games to top-10 opponents. But since then, the Red Raiders had won 14 straight games entering the OSU series but all had come against unranked teams.

Though that winning streak came to an end against the Cowboys, the Red Raiders notched a critical Big 12 series win by talking down a stout opponent. By doing so, they served notice to the Big 12 that the road to the conference title still runs through the Red Raiders.