Dillon Carter blasts two 3-run homers as Tech wallops Iowa
Texas Tech coach Tim Tadlock has always shown faith in Dillon Carter, continuing to write Carter's name into the lineup even as he batted a combined .202 the past two seasons. Being a terrific defensive center fielder helps a guy's job security.
Carter couldn't take his spot for granted this year, though, with the outfielders Tech landed from high school and the NCAA transfer portal, so he's redefining himself.
Carter hit a pair of three-run homers and No. 21 Texas Tech beat No. 27 Iowa 17-5 in a baseball series opener Friday night, snapping the Hawkeyes' seven-game win streak.
Carter continued his hot streak to start the season, reaching base four times, raising his average to .421 and having the first multi-homer game of his four-year college career — or ever, for that matter.
"I think that was the first one of my 22 years," he said, "so that was pretty cool."
Both the homers were opposite-field drives to left, the first giving the Red Raiders a 3-1 lead in the second inning and the other capping an eight-run fifth that made it 14-3.
Disciplined strike zone manager Nolen Hester has made the Tech leadoff spot and left field his, and fleet freshman Gage Harrelson has so far wrested right field from returning starter Owen Washburn. But Carter hasn't let anyone take his job in center. His onbase-plus-slugging is a team-best 1.416, his four homers already a career high and tied for the team lead.
Carter again credited mental-performance coach Dave Austin, with whom he consults before every game, usually for about 30 minutes. He appreciates Tadlock for continuing to believe in him, too.
"Shout out to coach," Carter said. "The last two years has been really rough for me at the plate. I kind of knew coming into this year, I've got to figure it out on offense, because the talent around us is insane this year."
Tech (13-2) moved to 12-0 at home this season. Iowa (10-2) started its win streak with a victory against No. 1 LSU.
The two teams continue the series at Dan Law Field/Rip Griffin Park with games at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
Tech raked four Iowa pitchers for 15 hits, three by Kevin Bazzell and two each from Gage Harrelson, Gavin Kash, Drew Woodcox, Carter and Will Burns. Kash drove in two runs with a single and a sacrifice fly.
Tadlock said earlier this season that Woodcox has as much power "as anybody we've probably had come through here," comparing him to Zach Rheams, who hit 17 homers in 2018. Woodcox hit a towering two-run homer to left off lefthander Nick Gottilla in the seventh inning that made the score 16-5. The drive was estimated at 424 feet.
Burns, who came into the game batting .115, doubled home a run in the fifth and hit a leadoff triple in the eighth. The double and the triple were college career firsts for the first-semester freshman shortstop, and he scored after both.
"You're talking about a guy that's supposed to be in high school," Tadlock said, "and he's kind of getting going and getting his timing. He's been making pretty good decisions on what pitches he swings at. I think now you're starting to see some timing come into play."
Ryan Free (1-0), the third of six Tech pitchers, got the win. Free struck out four in two scoreless innings and allowed one hit.
Tech starter Brendan Girton was lifted after throwing only 33 of 72 pitches for strikes. He lasted three innings, allowing three runs on three hits and five walks. One of the runs was unearned.
"I didn't command anything very well at all today," he said. "Just a bad outing. ... I felt good, but I wasn't doing my job."
Quick hits
Tech chased Iowa starter Ty Langenberg (1-2) after two innings, touching him for three runs on five hits in two innings. Last year, in a 6-3 Iowa victory against Tech, Langenberg struck out 10 in five innings and limited the Red Raiders to a run on three hits. ...
Tech second baseman Austin Green returned to the lineup after missing his first game of the season Tuesday with an unspecified injury. Green drew two walks, scored a run and had an RBI groundout in four plate appearances. He came out for a pinch runner in the fifth with the team up 11-3.
TEXAS TECH 17, IOWA 5
Iowa 010 200 200 — 5 6 2
Texas Tech 031 280 21x — 17 15 2
Langenberg, Simpson (3), Whitlock (5), Gottilla (5) and Moss, Tallman (7); Girton, Sanders (4), Free (5), Rogers (7), Lysik (8), Coombes (9) and White. W—Free (1-0). L—Langenberg (1-2). 2B—Texas Tech, Burns (1). 3B—Texas Tech, Burns (1). HR—Texas Tech, Carter 2 (4), Woodcox (3). Records: Iowa 10-2, Texas Tech 13-2.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Dillon Carter blasts two 3-run homers as Tech wallops Iowa
