Texas Tech baseball: Red Raiders crush OU in Amarillo

Playing a mid-week game against Oklahoma in Amarillo that didn’t count in the Big 12 standings, the Texas Tech baseball team flexed its muscles in a dominant 14-4 win on Tuesday night.  In front of a near-capacity crowd, Tech mashed four homers including two from Cole Stillwell as Tim Tadlock’s team continued its strong play as of late on the heels of this past weekend’s series win over Texas in Austin.

The Red Raiders wasted no time getting the fireworks started.  After a scoreless top of the 1st, Tech would plate four runs in the bottom half of the frame.  Included in that barrage was an RBI double from shortstop Cal Conley and Stillwell’s first long ball of the day, a two-run blast.

Two innings later, Tech would again plate four runs.  The Big 12’s home run leader, Jace Jung, would mash a solo shot to left field (his 16th on the season), catcher Braxton Fulford would power one out to center field, and Stillwell would send a ball over the right-center wall.

For the game, Stillwell was 3-3 with four RBI and three runs scored.  Having hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games, the first baseman appears to be picking up momentum as the postseason approaches and that makes an already dangerous Red Raider lineup even more fearful.

In the 5th inning, the Red Raiders would take things up a notch by plating five runs.  But this time, it was small ball that put the crooked number on the scoreboard.  Stillwell would score from third on a wild pitch, Braydon Runyon would score after Dru Baker drew a bases-loaded walk, Dillon Carter would score after Easton Murrell was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and Jung would drive home two runs with an RBI single.

In the 6th, Runion would hit into a double play that would bring home Tech’s final run of the game.  In all, it was the eighth time this year that Tech has scored at least 14 runs and that total was the most Tech has scored against OU since 2014.

Needless to say, that was more than enough offense to support a solid effort from the Red Raider pitching staff.

Freshman Chase Hampton got the start and was solid.  Working four innings, he gave up just two runs on five hits.  Picking up the win to move to 2-0, he matched his longest start of the year.  After that, six relievers would combine to toss five innings of two-run baseball.

Though this game won’t impact that Big 12 standings, the Red Raiders may have set the tone for the upcoming 3-game series in Norman (May 16-18).  And if nothing else, the Red Raiders put on a fireworks display that entertained and thrilled a capacity crowd at Hodgetown Ballpark.