Red Raiders Avoid Elimination, Hammer Frogs 8-1
The Texas Tech baseball team staved off elimination from the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship by collecting an 8-1 victory over top-seed and No. 2 TCU at ONEOK Field in Tulsa Thursday.
The Red Raiders (31-23) offense came to life against three-time All-Big 12 pitcher Preston Morrison (11-2).
Among Tech’s 11 base hits were two solo home runs. One from junior 1B Eric Gutierrez, his fourth of the season, and freshman Michael Davis who hit his second round tripper of the season.
Gutierrez finished 2-for-4 at the plate with three RBI. His home run was the 23rd of his career making him the active Big 12 leader in that category. He is also the active conference leader in RBI with 132.
Junior designated hitter Core Raley also went 3-for-4 extending his hitting streak to 16 games with his team-high 19th multi-hit game of the season.
Tech scored all eight runs in the first four innings.
That output was more than enough for senior right-hander Corey Taylor who tossed five scoreless frames allowing only four hits with two strikeouts and a walk, and Jonathan Tripp who tossed three scoreless innings allowing only one hit and striking out three. Freshman Parker Mushinski gave up one unearned run in the ninth.
Taylor lowered his NCAA leading ERA to 0.31. He has allowed only two earned runs in 57.1 innings pitch.
It was the first time the Horned Frogs (43-11) have lost back-to-back game this season.
Morrison, whose only two losses this season came to the Red Raiders, allowed seven runs, five earned, on seven hits, one walk and only recording one strikeout.
Tech will play against Baylor in another elimination game at 3:15 pm Friday at ONEOK Field. . The winner will advance to the bracket finals against Texas (28-25) on Saturday beginning at 9 a.m.
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