Red Raiders drop crucial series at home

I will not sugar coat this series and I will not beat around the bush, what just took place at Dan Law Field this weekend was embarrassing and humbling.

The Red Raiders dropped two of three to an unranked Baylor squad who flat out embarrassed Tech in all facets of the game this weekend. If you take away the performances of Micah Dallas and Braxton Fulford in game two, Baylor sweeps this series. The bats were silent for the most part, there was absolutely no help to any of the pitchers this weekend, and to be quite honest the bullpen was lackluster. Tech just didn’t look like the No. 5 team in the country.

The Bears came in and did what they needed to do. They exploited all of Tech’s weaknesses. They were well-disciplined at the plate forcing the Red Raiders to throw strikes, while the Bears threw strikes forcing Tech to drive in runs. The strikes nor the runs really ever came for the Scarlet and Black. The entire story of the series was fittingly told in the ninth inning of game three, when Baylor scored three runs, two on walks with the bases loaded and another on a hit by pitch with the bases full. Tech then followed in the bottom half by being sat down in order.

There was no momentum this weekend other than one inning on Saturday for the Red Raiders. It was very, very frustrating to watch. I’ll touch on the games briefly before a Big 12 standings update.

Friday

Tech 4- Baylor 12

Tech was embarrassed Friday as Patrick Monteverde struggled against the Bears lineup. The Bears scored six runs in the second inning and never looked back, beating a disinterested Red Raiders squad by eight runs. Sadly this wasn’t the worst outcome of the weekend.

Saturday

Tech 4- Baylor 1

The lone bright spots of the weekend were Micah Dallas and Braxton Fulford on Saturday. Dallas looked his best all season, and possibly since 2019, going seven innings striking out 10 and giving up only one run. Fulford had a bases loaded bases clearing double in the bottom of the eighth with the score knotted at one, putting Tech ahead for good.

Sunday

Tech 3- Baylor 13

No unfortunately that isn’t a typo as the Bears just piled on the runs after Mason Montgomery was removed from this one. The bullpen couldn’t find the strike zone and the batters couldn’t really do much other than a Cal Conley solo shot in the fourth and a Jace Jung double in the seventh.

Series thoughts

This was a series Tech needed to sweep to stay relevant in the Big 12. With Kansas beating TCU and OSU beating UT on Sunday, this was one Tech needed desperately to stay in the hunt. It didn’t happen. I can sit here and talk about the same stuff until I’m blue in the face but it has been the same issues all year. Bullpen accuracy and hitting with runners in scoring position. On Sunday as the seventh inning ended Tech was 2-18 with runners on base and 0-10 with runners in scoring position....this was just on Sunday through the first seven innings. You will not win many games with stats like that just plain and simple.

Before I go further I know there will be that select group saying “but Jack we are injured!” Yes I know this, and guess what? There are other teams all over the country that are injured too that are winning games they’re supposed to, and I know this Tech team refuses to use injuries as an excuse so you shouldn’t either. Injuries happen to everyone.

In the scope of the Big 12, Tech is basically eliminated from the championship picture, barring a catastrophic meltdown from both UT and TCU. In the rankings, realistically I see Tech dropping about 12-15 spots. This was an unranked team and Tech lost two of three and was outscored 26-11 on the weekend. Not good.

Summary

The Red Raiders need to take a long look in the mirror this week as they have a mid-week tune up against New Mexico on Wednesday before traveling to Austin to take on that school down there in a three-game set next weekend. That team will be ranked in the top-five for our showdown. I’ll have a preview out later this week for that one. Does this team have what it takes to get to Omaha? I’m not sure. Does this team have what it takes to get to a Super Regional? We’ll see. I do know this team won’t stop fighting till the last out.

Facts are facts folks. If Tech plays the way they did this weekend for the rest of the year, the season won’t be long.

However, if they regroup and get it together, it could last until mid June.

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