Texas Tech falls to TCU and Kansas State to end Big 12 Tournament

Game 1 vs. TCU by Nico Sanchez

The No. 3 seed Red Raiders were defeated by the No. 2 seed TCU Horned Frogs Friday morning by a final score of 7-2. TCU’s Russell Smith was dominant in the start, striking out 10 batters and only allowing 2 runs.

The Red Raiders found themselves in a hole early in this one after back-to-back doubles from TCU’s Porter Brown and Zach Humphreys. After Humphreys was brought home on a sac-fly later in the inning, the Horned Frogs led 2-0.

Those two would be the only earned runs allowed on the day from Tech’s starter Patrick Monteverde. In the third inning, however, two more TCU runs scored following an error from shortstop Cal Conley.

The Horned Frogs led 4-0 after three innings of play.

The Red Raiders would finally get on the board in the fifth after a towering two-run home run off the bat of first baseman/catcher Nate Rombach, but the next three batters after Rombach would all go down on strikes to end that inning.

Monteverde was pulled before the seventh inning. In the end, he pitched 6.0 total innings, gave up six hits, and struck out six batters.

Utility man Kurt Wilson came in for him in the seventh. It was just Wilson’s second appearance on the mound this season. He would give up one run in 1.0 inning of work.

TCU led 5-2 heading into the eighth.

After an error and a walk early in the top of the eighth inning, the Red Raiders put the tying run to the plate with one out in the inning. Second baseman Jace Jung and designated hitter Cole Stilwell were both retired without any damage done and the inning was over.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Horned Frogs tacked on two more insurance runs. Relievers Levi Wells, Derek Bridges, and Brandon Beckel all appeared for Tech in that inning, with both runs being charged to Wells.

After a leadoff single in the ninth by Cal Conley, the Red Raiders’ 6-7-8 hitter went down in order to end the game.

Russell Smith received the win in the game, while Patrick Monteverde took the loss. TCU’s Haylen Green got a save as well.

Game 2 by Jacob Harris

The Red Raiders came out flat today, plain and simple.

The offense never got going in either game and it was needed. The game started out in a pitching duel for the first two innings with neither team giving up a run. The third and fourth innings were very different and that ended up being the difference.

Kansas State’s Cameron Thompson and Dylan Phillips both launched home runs in the third inning go give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead and the lead for the remainder of the game. The fourth inning was worse for the Red Raiders and starter Micah Dallas.

The Wildcats loaded the bases. A lead-off single and two walks by Micah Dallas set up Cameron Thompson for a bases-clearing double that put the Wildcats up 5-0. Thompson finished the game with 4 RBI. After the lead swole that large, Coach Tadlock pulled the plug on Dallas and opted to replace him with Andrew Devine who allowed two more runs to put the Wildcat advantage at 7-0.

The Red Raiders attempted to make a comeback in the bottom of the fourth as a Cole Stillwell double knocked in a couple of runs following a Murrell walk. The Red Raiders managed to load the bases and even walk a run home but nothing else happened and the score stayed 7-2.

Ryan Sublette, Chase Hampton, Brendan Girton, and Connor Queen all got time pitching in this one. Dallas came out with the loss after allowing 5 runs in just 3.2 innings.

The Wildcats simply wanted this one more. The Red Raiders would live to play another day no matter the outcome here but the Wildcats wouldn’t. The Red Raiders will now look forward to the NCAA Tournament!