Monday Morning Matador: Track, bats and rackets

In another week of collegiate athletics Texas Tech came out mostly on top. The most exciting event is that, admittedly, I had to look up the term “balk” last Friday. If there are any other readers out there who aren’t familiar with it then here is the definition from the MLB website.

Balk: A balk is an illegal act by the pitcher when one or more runners are on base. The rule is in place to prevent a pitcher from deceiving the baserunners. When a balk is called, the ball is dead and all runners move up one base. However, the play proceeds without reference to the balk if the batter reaches first and all other runners advance at least one base.

Josh Jung sure got fired up about it.

Lady Raider softball claims win over Iowa State on Senior Day

The Raiders wasted no time getting an offensive lead in the Sunday matchup. Junior Jessica Hartwell brought two runs in the first frame. Then, senior Kaylee Strickland hit an RBI double in the second, later coming around herself to make it 4-1 through two frames. The Cyclones brought it closer after their second solo home run of the game to make it 4-2 in the fourth, but Tech added an insurance run in the sixth off an RBI single from freshman Kelcy Leach. Defensive efforts from the Raiders can’t be underappreciated as multiple run saving plays came throughout the latter innings to keep the final score at 5-3, Texas Tech. Next weekend, Texas Tech closes Big 12 play on the road at Kansas.

Lady Raider tennis also gives Iowa State a piece of their mind

No. 13 Texas Tech Women’s Tennis team swept Iowa State 4-0 on Sunday morning, completing a PERFECT 9-0 record on the road. After a fantastic season, the Lady Raiders will head to the Big 12 Championship this weekend in Austin. Tech will begin play on Friday, but the opponent and time are still TBD.

Men’s tennis not so successful against No. 6 TCU

After a complicated and hard-fought matchup against the Horned Frogs, Red Raiders fell 4-2 overall. TCU extended its winning streak to 12 consecutive matches since March 2, capping yet another unbeaten regular season in the Big 12. Texas Tech will now turn its attention to the Big 12 Championship and square off with No. 17 Oklahoma in Friday’s opening round.

Red Raider baseball takes series against OU, misses the sweep

The No. 4 baseball team for Tech took on No. 14 Oklahoma this past weekend in Lubbock in a three game series. The first two games of the contest were two entirely different stories. In their first match up on Friday the two teams were all tied up after the fourth frame at 2-2, until the Sooners notched another run in the sixth to give them the lead. It wouldn’t be until the bottom of the ninth that Texas Tech grabbed another run to tie the game and send it to extra innings. In the tenth, the Sooners wasted no time claiming another run and the lead at 4-3. The Raiders saw Grant Little have an RBI to bring Beck in and move Jung to third, but that’s all that would be needed to win the game. In a surprising call, Oklahoma pitcher Cavalli had a balk called on him which resulted in Jung high-stepping his way to the plate for the game winner at 5-4.

The second and third games were entirely different beasts. Texas Tech lit up Saturday’s game 12-6 and then Oklahoma returned the favor on Sunday, 12-5. Red Raiders took the series from the Sooners and now look forward to an exciting week ahead against Arkansas and TCU.

Divine Oduduru breaks 100m dash record

The 2018 Michael Johnson Invitational on Saturday evening was filled with impressive performances but none greater than Oduduru’s 100m. After clocking in an insane time of 10.10 in the men’s 100m invitational, Oduduru broke a 14-year old Texas Tech record set by Tyree Gailes in 2004 after he ran a 10.11. The 10.10 time ranks sixth in the country and 10^th in the world, so congratulations to Oduduru for an impressive accomplishment!

Oh crap I forgot to make coffee