Monday Morning Matador: dubs on dubs on dubs

We can’t waste any time... there’s victories to recap!

Texas Tech softball is 10-0

Sophomore Erin Edmoundson sits as the star of Tech’s second shutout of the weekend. Most recently they took down the Drake Bulldogs 4-0 on Sunday, but prior they beat the Furman Paladins 5-0 and the No. 21 Auburn Tigers 5-4 in a double-header. The hard-won victory against the ranked Tigers marked the program’s first road win against a ranked opponent since 2013. The total victories puts Texas Tech at 10-0 on the season, their best start through ten games since the 2011 season. Up next for the softball team is the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, CA.

Men’s basketball tags Oklahoma State and Baylor

With the race for the Big 12 title narrowing down, every win matters. Texas Tech picked up two vital wins both away at Oklahoma State and home against Baylor. The Red Raiders were up 21 points at the half against the Cowboys, and started the second half with a 15-0 run that put the game to rest with about the 13:30 left in the game. Despite being up 62-25, Oklahoma State was able to cover some ground when Tech put in reserves and ended the game 78-50, Texas Tech. Matt Mooney was money from beyond the arc, going five-for-five, while Jarret Culver and Tariq Owens both had double-digit days at 19 and 11 respectively. The following game, Texas Tech took on Baylor for the second game in the series in Lubbock. Jarret Culver went for another impressive performance of 18 points, while Davide Moretti and Tariq Owens both had double digit numbers (17, 11). The injury-burdened Bears had a hard time keeping Texas Tech off the board, as they led 45-32 at the half and only extended the lead by the end of the game to 86-61. The victory avenged a hard loss in Waco earlier in the year, and moved Texas Tech to 14-1 on their home court. The greatest threat to that home court record is their next game, against the Kansas Jayhawks. Tech takes on Kansas next Saturday at 7pm.

Lady Raiders earn first sweep in three years

After dropping a heart-breaker to West Virginia, Texas Tech women’s basketball notched a signature step forward after beating Kansas in Lawrence. It didn’t seem optimal in the first quarter as the Jayhawks got out to a 18-10 lead, but the Lady Raiders easily outscored them in the second 27-20. During the final minutes of the first half, Texas Tech netted four straight three-pointers from Eryka Sidney, Chrislyn Carr and Brittany Brewer (x2). The momentum surged into the second half with an impressive 20 point third quarter to Kansas’ 11. With 46 seconds left on the clock, and the game tied 71-71, Kansas was forced into a fouling situation where sophomores Angel Hayden and Sydney Goodson were able to put the game out of reach. Texas Tech won its second road game of the season, making it the first time since 2014-2015 that the Lady Raiders have done so. Up next, Coach Stollings and crew will look to face a very daunting No. 15 Texas team in Austin on February 23.

Baseball has wild opening against Oregon

The No. 3 Texas Tech baseball team took on Oregon over the weekend and had a less than ideal start. On opening day, the Red Raiders took a 1-0 lead in the first but had the excitement stamped out when Oregon went on an eight-run stretch through the third, fourth and fifth innings to make it 8-3 in the fifth. Tech wasn’t having a good day and Oregon took advantage of it, sealing a 9-4 victory on Friday. Saturday saw a similarly disappointing start, as Oregon had an outrageous eight-run first inning. This time Tech stood its ground and notched 7 runs through the first and second. Oregon remained stubborn and continued to take a run here and there to try and stay out of reach - but Tech’s three-run seventh inning managed to overtake Oregon for a 12-11 lead which they closed out. Yesterday, Tech and Oregon played the third in their four-game series under Lubbock’s sunny skies. After falling into yet another multi-run hole, the Red Raiders responded with five unanswered runs to defeat the Ducks 6-4 and move ahead in the series, 2-1. Coach Tadlock has praised freshman lefty Mason Montogmery for his undoubtedly superb effort throughout this series. The final game of the series is today at 1pm.

Sofia Garcia is good. Like, really good.

The sophomore golfer Sofia Garcia bagged her first career solo first place finish in the Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational. While Texas Tech placed third overall, Garcia finished three under par (213) through 54 holes of play - good enough for first place. Despite an up and down performance from athletes across the sheet, the sophomore’s ability to close the tournament three shots clear of the field landed her as the only player under par. This finish has been Garcia’s top-11 finish in all five of Tech’s events this seasons (three top-three showings.) Congratulations to Sofia!

And here’s Jonathan Botros with the good news in expedited form: