Game 1 - Texas Tech 10 Kansas State 3
1. Red Raider of the Game
Stephen Smith continued with the hot bat, going 2-4 with 5 RBI's, driving half of the Red Raiders' runs in the game. He singled in 2 runs in the outburst of offense in the 2nd inning, and then had a 3-run shot to left in the 6th.
2. Play That Impacted the Game
After being retired in order to start the game, the Red Raiders scored 7 in the 2nd inning, including a stretch of 6 straight hits comprised of 4 singles and 2 doubles. In an inning where 11 Red Raiders came to the plate, the 6 straight hits were the most since 2004.
3. Stat of the Game
In 8 innings of play, Tech only stranded 2 runners on base. Lately, even in wins, Tech has been leaving way too many on base, and it was good to see them score as many as they did without leaving too many players on at the end of an inning.
4. Forgotten Play of the Game
The 1st hit of the game was a double by leader Eric Gutierrez, his 9th of the year and 51st of his fantastic career in Lubbock. Gute has been great this year, and really seems to be on his game, both at 1st base, and at the plate.
5. Big Reason Tech Won the Game
Freshman pitching came up big again, with Ryan Shetter and Davis Martin combining for the win. In the 1st game of a doubleheader, you want your starter to go far, and save your bullpen if needed. Although 10 hits were allowed, Kansas St only scored 3 times. The offense strung together a ton of hits in the 2nd, providing more than enough offense for the win.
Game 2 - Texas Tech 10 Kansas State 4
1. Red Raider of the Game
Senior 1st baseman Eric Gutierrez went 3 for 3 with 4 RBIs that included a 3-run home run to left in the 5th. He was also responsible for 15 outs without an error. With a younger and more inexperienced pitching staff, it's a big confidence boost for them knowing the rock they have at 1st.
2. Play That Impacted the Game
With Tech up 2-1 in the bottom of the 3rd, Garcia led off with a triple, and score later in the inning on a sac fly. After scoring 10 runs in the first game, it was good to start an inning off with a man already in scoring position.
3. Stat of the Game
The Red Raiders had 6 extra base hits in the 2nd game, with 2 doubles, a triple, and 3 home runs while giving up only a double to KSU. The offense is the more experienced part of the team, and they showed up in a big way.
4. Forgotten Play of the Game
In the 8th inning Stephen Smith came up to the plate with 1 out. He was issued a walk on just 5 pitches and would score with the next batter as Garcia launched a shot to left center. Smith has been the leadoff batter most of the season due to his ability to get on base, and in an off game for him, he was able to do exactly that.
5. Big Reason Tech Won the Game
The Red Raiders used consistent offense to win today, scoring in 6 of their 8 innings. Just as in the 1st game of the doubleheader, only 2 pitchers were used, and one was a freshman. For the day, 3 freshman pitchers combined to throw 15 innings of work. The offense putting up 10 runs in consecutive games was a good sign, as we wanted the hot offense to take advantage of a weaker KSU team. At 7-1, this is the best start to conference play for Tech since 1999.
Tech finishes the series against KSU with a first pitch at High Noon today.