Texas Tech Baseball Plays in The Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament
After finishing their three-game series with a 5-0 win against the Kansas University Jayhawks, Texas Tech Baseball finished their regular season with a 14-10 conference record. The Red Raiders went into the Phillips 66 Big 12 tournament on a high note. They came in ranked number 5 in the nation at Oklahoma City, OK at Bricktown Ballpark. Now, with the momentum on their side, the Red Raiders would like to add to their resume before they begin their road to Omaha.
Game One
The Texas Tech Red Raiders kicked off their tournament play Wednesday, May 26, at 9 a.m. against the Baylor Bears. Sophomore Mason Montgomery pitched a great game. He broke the record for most strikeouts by a Red Raider in a Big 12 tournament game.
Dru Baker and Nate Rombach were prominent stars of the match. Getting on the board early, Baker had a leadoff home run in the first inning and Rombach hitting two home runs in the fourth.
Red Raiders that ran in against Baylor are Baker- 3, Fulford- 1, Conley- 2, Murrell- 3, and Rombach- 2. Texas Tech took an 8-0 lead in the first four innings. Getting three more runs in the sixth and seventh, finishing 11- 4 against the Bears.
Beginning with a clinic put on the mound, the Red Raiders didn’t allow a single score on the board until the sixth inning. Eventually, they let run scores in the seventh to let Bears score four in the contest. These would be their only points of the game.
On a positive note, the Red Raiders had a score in all but one of the first seven innings when up to bat. This barrage of RBI would lead to tech racking up seven points in the contest.
Game Two
Due to inclement weather, the game against TCU was pushed to May 28 at 9 a.m. Texas Tech had a doubleheader with the Kansas State game following at 12:45 p.m. Jace Jung drew a two-out walk in the first inning, giving the Horned Frogs an early lead.
By the end of the third inning, TTU dropped 0-4 to the Horned Frogs. Nate Rombach pulled through the top of the fifth inning, hitting a home run, bringing him and Easton Murrell home to cut TCU’s lead 2-4. They held off TCU for two more innings until scoring again at the bottom of the 7th.
Texas Tech finished the game with a 2-7 loss against TCU, going into the Kansas State game on a low.
Texas Tech vs. Kansas State
After a tough loss against TCU, Texas Tech quickly turned to play Kansas State on May 28 at 12:45 p.m. The Wildcats started early, with Cameron Thompson hitting a solo dinger in the third inning and doing, even more. Giving K-State a 7-0 lead by the top of the fourth inning.
After trailing 7-0 in the fourth, Red Raiders battled back in the bottom thanks to Cole Stilwell hitting a one-out double, letting Murrell and Rombach have a bases-loaded walk.
Eventually, they held on to shut out the Wildcats for the last five innings of the game.
Wrapping Up
Finally that the Big 12 tournament is over, the Red Raiders have their eyes set on the NCAA tournament. Texas Tech named to host the NCAA regional for the fifth year in a row. Thus, are the only school in the nation ever do so.
Texas Tech Baseball named the number 8 national seed for the fourth time in five years by the NCAA tournament. The Red Raiders are to play Army Friday, June 6, 11 a.m., Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
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Written by Campus Live Intern, Madison Siraphet