The Red Raiders Walk Off Winning Weekend in Round Rock
Texas Tech Baseball went down to the Round Rock Classic this weekend to play against some stout competition and they found some in Tennessee, Stanford and Houston. The team ended up 2-1 on the weekend, after walking off Houston in the 10th inning on Sunday evening.
They started Friday against Tennessee, where Clayton Beeter took the loss in a 6-2 game against the Volunteers. Beeter went four innings, walking three and giving up 4 earned runs. He struck out eight batters in 81 pitches.
John McMillon and Kurt Wilson would pitch the final four innings of the game and allow one run apiece. Cal Conley and Nate Rombach knocked in a run on the offensive side.
Saturday, the Red Raiders got back on the winning side with Bryce Bonnin striking out a career-high nine batters in five complete innings of work. Micah Dallas controlled the final four innings of the game striking out six of his own. The pair only walked one Cardinal, and Bonnin surrendered the lone runs in an early two-run homer before settling down in the 7-2 victory for the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech answered the Stanford runs quickly and got after Cardinal pitching, scoring in the 1st, 2nd, and 4th innings before breaking it open in the 7th and 8th.
Finally, the game that put the Red Raiders on the winning side of things: A walk-off win over the Houston Cougars.
Dru Baker reached on all five of his plate appearances, including in the 10th inning when he stole second base. The Cougars then intentionally walked Fulford, bringing Brian Klein to the plate. Klein was 0-4 at the time, but came through in the clutch with the base hit that brought Baker home, his second run of the day.
Red Raider pitching was strong again, with Austin Becker getting the start and going 4 innings giving up both runs before the bullpen came in and locked things down. Hunter Dobbins, Jakob Brustoski, Ryan Sublette and Andrew Devine threw the final six innings of the game, allowing just six base runners over the final six frames.
In Brustoski's two innings, he faced 7 batters, fanning four of them and beaning one, his only base runner. He's now K'd 6 batters in 2.2 innings of work as a Red Raider.
Sophomore Cole Stilwell and Dylan Neuse were named to the All-Tournament team.
Houston finished 1-2 on the weekend, beating Stanford, which went 0-3. Meanwhile, Tennessee won the weekend with a perfect 3-0.