LUBBOCK, Texas –Taylor Floyd tossed 4.1 hitless innings Saturday to lead the Red Raiders to a 3-2 victory.
Senior Cameron Warren went yard as part of a three-run third inning that would prove enough to send No. 8 Texas Tech past Dallas Baptist, 3-2, Saturday in front of 4,567 fans at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park. The win moves the Red Raiders to the regional finale set for Sunday night.
The Red Raiders (41-17) struck early as Warren connected on a two-run shot to open the scoring in the third, before sophomore catcher Braxton Fulford added an RBI single to build a 3-0 advantage. The dinger was Warren’s team-leading 16th of the season and second in as many days after delivering a three-run bomb Friday against Army.
The Patriots (42-19) cut into the lead in the fifth with two runs, but junior Taylor Floyd (5-3) preserved the lead out of the bullpen to put Tech in the driver’s seat, one win away from advancing to its fourth Super Regional in school history.
Junior right-hander Caleb Kilian maintained a scoreless effort into the fifth before Floyd came on to retire the last out and strand the bases loaded. Dallas Baptist would get the tying run to third in the sixth as well, but Floyd was able to get a soft grounder to Warren to keep Tech in front.
Floyd was spotless from there as Dallas Baptist only reached via a hit by pitch in the sixth and a walk in the seventh over his final 4.1 innings. Floyd retired the Patriots in order over the final two frames, highlighted by two of his five strikeouts in the ninth to close out the victory.
Junior Josh Jung got the three-run second started with a single before Warren blasted a 1-0 pitch into a tree beyond the visitor’s bullpen in left. Back-to-back walks and a fielder’s choice put sophomore Cole Stilwell at third, and Fulford roped a single to left to make it 3-0.
Patriot starter Jordan Martinson (8-4) settled in from there, pitching 6.1 innings and keeping the Red Raiders from adding onto their lead. DBU then went to right-hander Jarod Bayless out of the pen, who held Tech scoreless over the final 2.2 frames.
Despite finishing with just six hits in the game, it was a balanced effort offensively with all six hits being recorded by different Red Raiders. So far in the regional, Tech has outhit its opponents 22-13.
The Red Raiders will take on the winner of Dallas Baptist and Florida at 8 p.m. Sunday night. The Patriots and Gators will play an elimination game at 2 p.m. earlier in the day. All games at the NCAA Lubbock Regional are available on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
