Tech completes sweep at Oklahoma State
If Texas Tech somehow wins the Big 12 regular-season baseball championship, the Red Raiders' performance over the weekend in Stillwater, Oklahoma might well be remembered as the key moment.
The eighth-ranked Red Raiders swept a three-game series at No. 3 Oklahoma State, putting the final piece in place Sunday with a 6-4 victory at O'Brate Stadium.
Jace Jung, Hudson White and Owen Washburn drove in two runs apiece, and starting pitcher Chase Hampton allowed one run over five innings. Austin Becker worked through bases-loaded jams in each of the last two innings — one inherited, one of his own making — for his first save.
The Red Raiders won a Big 12 series finale for only the second time in seven such chances this season. Now the program's fourth Big 12 title in the last six full seasons is there for the taking.
Tech (35-16, 14-7) trails TCU (32-18, 16-8) by one-half game after the Horned Frogs completed their conference schedule Sunday with a sweep of a three-game series at Kansas.
Tech hosts Oklahoma (31-18, 13-8) on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The Red Raiders will win the conference title outright if they sweep the Sooners and will share the crown if they win twice against OU.
Oklahoma State (34-17, 13-8) can make it a three-way tie for the title with TCU and Tech if the Cowboys sweep their last regular-season series at Baylor and Tech loses once.
Jung and Washburn both finished 3 for 5 as Tech swept Oklahoma State on its third consecutive visit to Stillwater. Jung hit his team-leading 13th home run, a liner into the bullpen in right in the first inning, and singled home a run in the sixth for a 6-1 lead.
White doubled home a run in the second. After Oklahoma State narrowed it to 2-1 in the third, Tech scored three in the fifth with a two-run single by Washburn and an RBI single from White.
Hampton (4-3) registered a career-high nine strikeouts. The sophomore righthander left after five innings with a 6-1 lead, and Mason Molina, Josh Sanders and Becker held the line.
The Cowboys had the bases loaded and one out in the seventh, but Sanders minimized the damage with Nolan McLean's run-scoring fielder's choice and an inning-ending groundout from Marcus Brown.
Becker, who had last appeared in a game on April 24, entered after Sanders allowed a double, single and walk to start the eighth. A Zach Ehrhard base hit and a Jake Thompson forceout narrowed the gap to 6-4, but Becker struck out 4-hole and 5-hole batters Griffin Doersching and Brett Brown.
With two outs in the ninth, Becker loaded the bases with a walk to Roc Riggio, but he fanned Ehrhard to end it.
Tech pitchers struck out 15.
In Saturday's late game, Washburn capped a seven-run inning with a grand slam and Brandon Birdsell moved into a tie for the Big 12 lead in pitching victories, leading Tech to a 9-3 victory.
White and Kurt Wilson hit solo homers.
Birdsell (8-2) went seven innings, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out five. He's gone at least seven innings in his past three starts, getting the win in all three.
TEXAS TECH 6, OKLAHOMA STATE 4
Texas Tech 110 031 000 — 6 12 0
Oklahoma State 001 000 120 — 4 10 0
Hampton, Molina (6), Sanders (7), Becker (8) and White; Martin, McLean (3), Morrill (4), Stone (6), Bogusz (6), Phansalkar (7) and Adkison. W—Hampton (4-3). L—Martin (3-3). Sv—Becker (1). 2B—Texas Tech, White (9), Washburn (10); Oklahoma State, Thompson 2 (14), Bay (3). HR—Texas Tech, Jung (13). Records: Texas Tech 35-16, 14-7; Oklahoma State 34-17, 13-8.
Saturday's Late Result
TEXAS TECH 9, OKLAHOMA STATE 3
Texas Tech 001 070 001 — 9 8 0
Oklahoma State 000 101 010 — 3 4 1
Birdsell, Clark (8), Bridges (8), Devine (9) and Stilwell; Osmond, Phansalkar (5), Marsh (6), Ure (9) and Daugherty, Adkison (9). W—Birdsell (8-2). L—Osmond (4-2). 2B—Texas Tech, Stilwell (13), Murrell (6); Oklahoma State, Trenkle (5). 3B—Oklahoma State, Thompson (2). HR—Texas Tech, White (6), Washburn (7), Wilson (12); Oklahoma State, Doersching (10).
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: College baseball: Texas Tech completes sweep at Oklahoma State
