For the fourth time in school history, the No. 8 Texas Tech baseball team has secured its spot in the super regional round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Red Raiders (42-17) wrapped up a sweep of the 2019 NCAA Lubbock Regional with a 3-0 shutout of Dallas Baptist on Sunday night in front of a season-high 4,679 fans at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
It is the second-consecutive season Tech has swept its way through the regional round after doing so in 2018 for the first time in school history. Tech defeated Army, 11-2, to open the regional and defeated the Patriots, 3-2, Saturday night.
In addition, it is the first time in the school’s 70-year baseball history the Red Raiders have advanced to the Super Regional round in back-to-back years. Tech advanced out of its four-team pod in 2014, 2016, 2018 and now 2019.
Senior Cameron Warren delivered an early haymaker with a three-run shot in the first, and sophomore Bryce Bonnin tossed seven scoreless innings in his NCAA Tournament debut. The shutout victory is Tech’s eighth in an NCAA Tournament game and its second to advance to a Super Regional.
The outing was the longest of Bonnin’s (6-1) career as he allowed only three hits, while striking out seven in a dominating performance. Dallas Baptist (43-20) placed only four runners in scoring position over his seven innings and only reached third base once, which came in the seventh inning where Bonnin escaped with a ground out to Josh Jung at short.
Junior John McMillon recorded five of the final six outs via strikeouts as he punched out all three Patriots in the ninth to close out the win. The save was the second of the season for the right-hander, who surrendered only a two-out single in both the eighth and ninth innings.
Warren was named the Most Valuable Player of the NCAA Lubbock Regional after the senior hammered opposing pitching to the tune of three home runs and eight RBI. He became only the fifth Red Raider in school history to homer three times in a regional and the first to do so in each of the first three games.
The Red Raiders will host No. 9 seed Oklahoma State next weekend at Rip Griffin Park. That regional will be determined at 6 p.m.
Loading ...