The Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball team helped achieve a milestone for head coach Tim Tadlock on Friday as the team split the doubleheader against Cincinnati. Tech was also able to extend its season for at least one more game by qualifying for the Big 12 Tournament.
Heading into Friday, the Scarlet and Black needed to either win both games against the Bearcats or win one with an Arizona loss to take the last spot in the Big 12 tourney. Oklahoma State was able to run-rule the Wildcats 13-1, meaning that all the Red Raiders needed was one win. Tadlock’s squad lost the series opener on Thursday via a run-rule loss to Cincy, with an identical 13-1 loss.
Texas Tech baseball clinches final spot in Big 12 Tournament
It didn’t start out pretty for the good guys. Tech found themselves down 3-0 after three innings, thanks to Enzo Infelise’s two-run shot in the second inning to give the Bearcats a 2-0 lead. Jackson Smith scored Charlie Niehaus on a sacrifice fly in the third. The response came quickly.
In the top of the fourth inning, right fielder Caden Ferraro launched the ball over the right field fence and hit the basketball arena to start the scoring, and first baseman Robin Villeneuve hit one of his own to left field.
The scoring continued in the fifth and sixth innings for the offense. Linkin Garcia drove in two on a double to right center, and Matt Quintanar drove in Garcia on an RBI single. This gave the Red Raiders a 5-3 lead after five innings. Connor Shouse would give Tech a much-needed insurance run in the sixth when he flew out to right, scoring Villeneuve on the sac fly.
Shouse would also get the last laugh on the mound, earning his third save of the season. He faced eight batters over two innings, allowing just one hit but hitting two batters. The victory officially clinched Tech’s tournament berth once Arizona’s game went final against Oklahoma State.
Tech would have to play from behind once again in the second game of the doubleheader, but it didn’t go as well. Tech struck first with an RBI single off the bat of Lopez in the first inning, plating Kyeler Thompson. The lead didn’t last when Quinton Coats hit a three-run shot in the bottom of the inning, just three batters into the game. Adam Hayes would be pulled after just one inning in favor of Logan Bevis, who didn’t fare much better. Through two innings, the duo allowed nine hits and seven runs, all earned, to put Tech in a 7-2 hole.
After four innings, Tech would face an 8-3 deficit, but over the final three innings would narrow the gap to 8-7. Tommy Hanger drove in Quintanar in the sixth off an RBI single and scored Ferraro on an RBI groundout to get within three in the eighth. Thompson got an infield single to short, but a throwing error allowed Villeneuve to score. Logan Hughes launched his 20th home run in Big 12 play in the ninth when he hit an oppo taco to left field.
Unfortunately, Adam Buczkowski was able to slam the door on the comeback, handing Texas Tech another Big 12 series loss. It was the seventh time in the last eight series that the Red Raiders failed to win a Big 12 series. A streak of consecutive losing series in Big 12 play was snapped last week when Tech took two of three against BYU.
Tim Tadlock wins his 500th game
The win in the first game of the doubleheader gave Tadlock win No. 500 as the head coach of Texas Tech baseball. It was a bright moment in a season that has been a struggle. The Red Raiders will now shift their focus to the Big 12 Tournament in Surprise, Arizona, where they will likely play the BYU Cougars in the first round. The first game will be on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. CT and can be streamed on ESPN+.
This article originally appeared on Red Raiders Wire: Texas Tech splits doubleheader, clinches berth in Big 12 Tournament
Reporting by Patrick Conn, Red Raiders Wire / Red Raiders Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
