Tadlock gets 400th victory as Tech coach with win over ND State
North Dakota State pitchers handcuffed Texas Tech for the first 12 innings the Bison were in town.
The Red Raiders finally broke through, giving Tim Tadlock a milestone victory in the process.
No. 19 Tech won 8-5 Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader at Dan Law Field/Rip Griffin Park for Tadlock's 400th victory as the Red Raiders' head coach. The 54-year-old former Tech infielder is 400-204 in his 11th season in charge of the program.
"What it means is we've had a lot of really good baseball players," Tadlock said, "and obviously we've had a really good staff and a lot of good support."
Gage Harrelson, Zac Vooletich and Kevin Bazzell all had big hits as the Red Raiders (21-10) bounced back from a series-opening, 8-1 loss Thursday night. Saturday's game was scoreless going to the bottom of the fourth with Bison starter Tristen Roehrich (2-5) allowing only one runner in the first three innings.
Harrelson touched off a four-run fourth when he smashed a ball off the wall in left-center field and it took a hard ricochet back toward the infield. Left fielder Terrell Huggins, in his haste, muffed the pick-up and Harrelson circled the bases. The scoring was a triple and an error.
After Bazzell was hit by a pitch, Gavin Kash walked and Bazzell moved to third with one out, Owen Washburn scored him with a sacrifice fly. Then Vooletich unloaded his first homer of the season, a two-run blast to left-center for a 4-0 lead.
"It was a hanging slider," Vooletich said, "and I knew he was going to throw it, because he threw it the at-bat before. Fortunately, I was able to get a good swing off on it."
Bazzell singled home a run in the fifth and made the score 8-1 with a two-run double in the sixth. Vooletich, in his third start of the season, doubled leading off the sixth and scored and walked in the seventh.
Winning pitcher Mason Molina (3-2) went 5 1/3 innings, giving up a run on two hits. Ryan Free pitched the ninth for his first save.
Monterey graduate Dallan Quigley singled home a run in the North Dakota State seventh, and the Bison narrowed the gap to 8-5 in the eighth on a two-run single by Jack Steil and a run-scoring double from Garret Hill. At that point, Tech reliever Jase Lopez replaced Zach Erdman and struck out Carson Hake and Quigley, stranding two in scoring position.
The win came with a cost for the Red Raiders as Washburn hurt himself trying to make a diving catch in right. He tumbled to the turf trying to snag a sinking drive by Druw Sackett and suffered what Tadlock later said was a dislocated left elbow.
"So that'll be a while," Tadlock said, that Washburn is out.
A Tech medical staff member immobilized Washburn's arm before he left the field. Later in the game, Washburn returned to the dugout with the injured arm in a sling.
It's the second instance this season of a Tech outfielder getting hurt trying to make a diving catch. Center fielder Dillon Carter suffered a broken wrist March 12 against Iowa. Tadlock said the initial prognosis of Carter missing six to eight weeks still appears likely.
"He's tracking balls with a glove on his right hand really good," Tadlock said. "He's still got a cast on his left hand. ... I feel like it was going to be at least six weeks, maybe eight (that Carter is unavailable)."
Friday's late game
Because of travel delays stemming from a winter storm, members of the North Dakota State baseball team showed up to Lubbock in three groups, the last not arriving until shortly before it was time to play ball.
The Bison didn't let it show up in their play.
North Dakota State won the series opener 8-1 with pitchers Cade Feeney and Skyler Riedinger allowing four hits, matching the Red Raiders' season low, and the defense behind them playing error-free.
"We had guys that were probably up against it and tired, especially waking up at 3 a.m. the last couple of days," Bison coach Tyler Oakes said, "but they did a really good job."
The series originally was scheduled as single games Thursday, Friday and Saturday, then rescheduled to a single game Friday afternoon and a doubleheader Saturday. Then Friday's game was pushed back five hours to 7 p.m.
The Bison's flight Wednesday was canceled, and they bussed the 234 miles southeast from Fargo, North Dakota, to Minneapolis on Thursday morning. Then they split into a group of 15 and a group of 18.
"The 15 got in last night (Thursday), probably about 7 or 8 o'clock," Oakes said. "And then the group of 18 came in two different flights from Minneapolis and Dallas into Lubbock. One group got in probably about 1 p.m, and then the other group got in just before game time.
"The guys that got here last night, we had four or five position players, six or seven pitchers and two coaches. And we had two coaches back with the other two groups."
One of the game-day arrivals was Feeney (3-3), who went six innings and allowed three hits, one a homer by Austin Green in the second. Riedinger pitched the last three innings for the save.
In his past three starts, Feeney has pitched 19 innings and held opponents to 11 hits and three runs, one unearned.
"I think those guys commanded the fastball," Tadlock said. "Feeney commanded the changeup and the slider, which you knew going into it ... . He's been very good through the year. No big surprise that he went out and went six innings. You're just trying to keep it where it's a game and get to the bullpen, and we didn't necessarily do that."
Shortstop Druw Sackett went 4 for 6 with three doubles and three runs batted in. North Dakota State broke open the game with a four-run ninth that Sackett capped with a two-run double.
"I was with the guys that got in yesterday," Sackett said of the travel, "so kind of lucked out. It was hard to see all the other guys stay back and not be able to get here (Thursday), but they showed a lot getting here and getting ready to play and doing their thing."
The Bison have lost 14 games this season by three runs or fewer with eight of those against Arizona State, Arizona, Texas, Texas State, Nebraska and Tech.
"Our guys have faced a lot of adversity all year," Oakes said. "I'm proud of the way they played and competed. That's kind of the level of expectation.
"People look at our record and don't think we're any good, and I think we're a good competitive team that can play with anyone around, and it's cool to get into these type of environments and give these guys these type of experiences when they play like that."
TEXAS TECH 8, NORTH DAKOTA STATE 5
N.D. State 000 001 130 — 5 9 3
Texas Tech 000 413 00x — 8 6 0
Roerich, Danielson (5), Rosenbaum (7) and Freiter, Busch (8); Molina, Beckel (6), Erdman (8), J. Lopez (8), Free (9) and White. W—Molina (3-2). L—Roerich (2-5). Sv—Free (1). 2B—North Dakota State, Huggins (9), Brookshaw (11), Hill (2); Texas Tech, Vooletich (2), Bazzell (16). 3B—Texas Tech, Harrelson (3). HR—Texas Tech, Vooletich (1). Records: North Dakota State 8-21, Texas Tech 21-10.
Friday's Late Game
NORTH DAKOTA STATE 8, TEXAS TECH 1
ND State 002 110 004 — 8 13 0
Texas Tech 010 0000 000 — 1 4 2
Feeney, Riedinger (7) and Busch; Girton, Fast (5), Coombes (6), Bridges (8), Devine (9), Crowley (9) and Bazzell. W—Feeney (3-3). L—Girton (2-1). Sv—Riedinger (3). 2B—North Dakota State, Hamilton (3), Sackett 3 (11), Dunlap 2 (7), Busch (7). HR—Texas Tech, Green (7).
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Tadlock gets 400th victory as Tech coach with win over ND State
