Series Details:
Dates: Friday, May 6th – Sunday, May 8th
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (34-13, 14-4)
Bad Guys: Kansas Jayhawks (19-26-1, 5-9)
Location: Hoglund Ballpark | Lawrence, Kansas
Game Notes: Preview | PDF
TV/Stream: ESPN3
Radio/Stream: Broadcast Affiliates
Texas Tech really needs to keep the train running and win the series to keep their national seed. There may be more pressure in a series like this than the TCU series because of the pressure to win, while the TCU series, the pressure was probably on the Horned Frogs. Kansas struggles in a lot of categories, not the best offensive team and certainly not the best pitching stats either. The other good thing for this team is that they had the entire week off since the TCU series, maybe the rest for the team will do them some good.
LAJ’s Krista Pirtle talked with head coach Tim Tadlock, who says that Ty Damron has earned that Sunday start:
“I would think we would start (Damron) this week,” Tadlock said. “The two guys that have pitched in the midweek had a chance to pitch on the weekend at any time. We wanted to allow them those innings to give those guys a chance to develop.”
In Damron’s Sunday start at TCU, he earned the win (4-1) after giving up only one run off four hits with five strikeouts through five innings.
“He has fastball command,” Tadlock said. “Without that fastball command, it would be hard for him to pitch out of the jams he was in, especially in the first. … He gave us everything he had through five innings. He would have given us more if we had asked him to.”
Stats
| Avg | .301 | .286 |
| OBP | .407 | .385 |
| SLG | .461 | .395 |
| ERA | 4.18 | 6.06 |
| OAvg | .259 | .305 |
| SO/9 | 6.91 | 6.78 |
| BB/9 | 3.94 | 4.45 |
| FLD% | .973 | .64 |
Probable Starters:
Game 1: Friday, May 6th @ 6:00 pm
Texas Tech Starting Pitcher: RHP Davis Martin (7-0, 2.28)
Kansas Starting Pitcher: RHP Ben Krauth (4-4, 3.00)
Final Score & Box Score: Texas Tech 10, Kansas 3 (recap | recap)
Freshman pitcher Davis Martin is now 8-0 on the year, after going 5.0 innings, allowing 5 hits, 2 runs, walking 1 and striking out 3. Another solid start for the freshman and not throwing too many pitches. I suppose if you ever wanted to praise pitching coach Ray Hayward for anything, it’s not overusing his pitchers. Consider that Kansas starter Ben Krauth threw 119 pitches, while Martin threw 86. Hayden Howard pitched the next 3 innings, allowing 4 hits, a run and Ryan Shetter went the final frame without much fanfare except for a hit by pitch.
The offense was really quiet for the first three innings, not scoring a run, but exploded in the 8th and 9th innings, scoring 3 runs each inning. Cory Raley was 3-4, with 2 RBI and scoring 2 runs. Tyler Neslony was 2-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Eric Gutierrez was 1-3 with 2 RBI. Tyler Floyd had a weird statline, going 0-2, but scored 2 runs as he walked 3 times. Orlando Garcia was 1-6 with 2 RBI. No YouTube highlights, but you can find highlights at KAMC.
Game 2: Saturday, May 7th @ 2:00 pm
Texas Tech Starting Pitcher: LHP Steven Gingery (3-1, 3.15)
Kansas Starting Pitcher: TBA
Final Score & Box Score: Texas Tech 9, Kansas 2 (recap | box score
Freshman starter Steven Gingery cruised through 7.0 innings, allowing just 3 hits, striking out 4 and walking 2. Gingery only needed 99 pitches throwing 64 of them for strikes and Gingery didn’t appear to be in trouble for his seven innings. Ty Harpenau pitched the final 2.0 innings, allowing 2 inconsequential runs in the 9th inning, while striking out 4. Tyler Neslony was 2-4, including a home run, with 3 RBI and Eric Gutierrez was also 2-4, with a home run, and 3 RBI. It was Neslony’s 9th home run of the year and Gutierrez’s 10th home run. Tanner Gardner was 1-3 for 2 RBI.
This is another conference series win for Texas Tech, with the only series loss this year for Texas Tech being Texas. That’s seven conference series played and six conference series wins.
Game 3: Sunday, May 8th @ 10:00 am
Texas Tech Starting Pitcher: RHP Ty Damron (4-1, 5.40)
Kansas Starting Pitcher: TBA
Final Score & Box Score: Texas Tech 6, Kansas 3 (recap | box score)
Starter Ty Damron didn’t get off to the best start, giving up a run in each of the first two innings and not throwing a ton of strikes and walking 2 batters. Robert Dugger pitches the third inning without much happening other than a hit and 2 walks. And then Ryan Moseley pitched the next 3 frames, earning the win, and allowing 3 hits, a run, walking 2 and striking out 1. Hayden Howard pitched the next 3 innings, allowing just 2 hits and striking out two. This wasn’ the sharpest pitching performance as the staff walked 6 and only struck out 3. Hey, but they only allowed 3 runs.
The offense pounded out 11 hits, including Eric Gutierrez’s 11th home run, while going 2-4 with 2 RBI and Hunter Hargrove went 3-4 with an RBI. Stephen Smith was 1-5 with 2 RBI.
That leaves Texas Tech with a 17-4 record overall in the Big 12 and Oklahoma State at 12-6. I think, Texas Tech needs at least 1 win to clinch the Big 12 championship, or at least a share.