Red Raider Hardball | TCU vs. Texas Tech

Texas Tech is struggling, but not quite like TCU. The LAJ has a really interesting story about how Texas Tech head coach Tim Tadlock threw all of the bats on the field, during a game, not because he was angry, but to wake some fans up. Huh. I'll say this. I do like Tadlock, I think he gets it and I think he'll win. I also like to listen to him talk. Recently, the offense has been struggling and Trey Masek was out last weekend with a sore arm. That's bad news in both directions. Tadlock, though, isn't frustrated:

"We’re not frustrated at all," Tadlock said. "It’s one of those things that hitting is going to come around and we’re going to hit. The guys we know who can hit are going to end up hitting. But there’s absolutely no frustration from my standpoint. I’ve seen all these guys and know they can hit. They’re all just going through a bad cycle right now.

"We get a big hit or two in West Virginia, a couple of two-out hits in a couple of games and we walk away winning two games and feeling good like we were the week before. The reality is, though, that we haven’t been real good offensively and we just need to try to keep getting better."

The DT also talked with occassional starter in the outfield Brennan Moore:

“You know, a role is, like, something constantly evolving into something,” Moore said, “whereas at the end of the year you’re kind of in your place and you kind of know where you’re at. You know the difference in this position is at, you have a different role under different coaches, different management, so instead of coming in as a senior and playing under the same guys, you know I’m under a whole new leadership so as the year progresses, you kind of learn where your strengths are as a teammate and where you need to help guys.”

OUTFIELD | LF: Zach Davis | CF: Brett Bell | RF: Devon Conley
INFIELD | 3B: Jake Barrios | SS: Tim Proudfoot | 2B: Bryant Burleson | 1B Eric Gutierrez | C: Mason Randolph | DH: Jarrard Poteete

Game 1 Date and Time: March 29th @ 6:35 pm
Texas Tech Starting Pitcher: RHP Dominic Moreno (2-2, 3.58)
TCU Starting Pitcher: RHP Preston Morrison (3-1, 1.18)
Final Score & Box Score: TCU 4, Texas Tech 1 (official site)

You see above where Moreno was supposed to be the starter, scratch that. He had a rib pop out. New starter Corey Taylor pitched really well, but it was, again, the offense that produced only one run. Taylor pitched 7.1 innings, allowed 3 runs, 3 walks and 2 strikeouts. Still, it was the offense scattered nine hits, to TCU's six hits. And to add salt to the wound, Trey Masek isn't pitching either. Here's a recap from the LAJ and DT with a quote from the LAJ articles from head coach Tim Tadlock:

"We’re talking more about playing (Saturday) and putting ourselves in position to maybe win a series," Tadlock said. "We know it’s a three-game series and we’ve got plenty of pitching to win (Saturday), and that’s what we need to do."

Game 2 Date and Time: March 30th @ 6:30 pm
Texas Tech Starting Pitcher: TBA
TCU Starting Pitcher: LHP Brandon Finnegan (0-4, 2.72)
Final Score & Box Score: TCU 7, Texas Tech 3 (official site)

The Red Raiders jumped out early with two runs, but could not sustain any other real offense while spot-starter Jonny Drozd allowed 4 runs in 5 innings of work. TCU doubled up Texas Tech in hits as they had 13 hits to Texas Tech's 6 hits and it's really frustrating to see the offense struggle so much.

Game 3 Date and Time: March 31st @ 1:35 pm
Texas Tech Starting Pitcher: TBA
TCU Starting Pitcher: RHP Andrew Mitchell (0-1, 2.87)
Final Score & Box Score: TCU 7, Texas Tech 8 (official site)

A pretty wild game from all accounts. Texas Tech scores 3 in the first inning, and then TCU comes storming back with 5 runs in the third inning and two more runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Texas Tech then scores the last 5 runs of the game to win a game out of this series. CF Devon Conley had 3 hits and scores 2 runs, while 2B Bryant Burleson and 1B Eric Guitierrez each had 2 RBI, while 3B Jake Barrios drove in 3.