Rocky ninth dooms Tech in loss to Iowa

The Texas Tech baseball team could picture a series sweep of a ranked, power-five conference opponent. The Red Raiders just needed to get three outs to set up a walk-off win opportunity.

Instead, the Red Raiders lost the game, the potential sweep and possibly one of their key players in a disastrous ninth inning Sunday.

Two errors led to three unearned runs in the ninth that allowed No. 27 Iowa to get out of town with a 10-9 victory. The outcome snapped a 14-game home win streak for No. 21 Texas Tech that started with the 2022 regular-season finale.

"We've definitely had better days," Tech coach Tim Tadlock said.

Brennen Dorighi's RBI single for Iowa (11-3) broke a 7-7 tie in the top of the ninth. Three batters later, Chase Moseley capped the uprising with a two-run double.

Potentially worse for Tech, center fielder Dillon Carter suffered an injured left hand trying to make a diving catch on Moseley's shot. Tadlock said Carter's glove hand got caught in the fence as he laid out for the ball on the warning track in right-center field.

After several minutes in the outfield with Tadlock and an athletic trainer, Carter came out of the game and was visibly angry as he proceeded from the dugout straight into the locker room.

"When one of your guys that can really play goes down like that, it's frustrating," Tadlock said. "Obviously, we'll get it X-rayed and see what it looks like."

Carter is off to the best start of his four-year career. He hit his fifth home run and third of the series Sunday. His on-base percentage of .548 leads the team, and he's second on the team in homers, average (.400) and OPS (1.392).

Gavin Kash, Kevin Bazzell and Austin Green also homered for Tech (14-3).

Green hit his two-run drive to right with no outs in the ninth, cutting the 10-7 deficit down to one run. But Iowa pitcher Cade Obermueller (1-0), who walked Bazzell in front of Green, shook it off. Armed with a 93-95 mph fastball but relying more on low-80s breaking balls, the freshman lefthander went strikeout, strikeout, groundout on the next three batters to end it.

The Red Raiders could blame themselves for the messy ninth inning.

With one out and the bases empty, Kyle Huckstorf's ground ball got by Cade McGarrh at shortstop. Two batters later, Keaton Anthony hit a chopper to third that Bazzell couldn't field cleanly on the backhand side. Given two extra outs, Iowa made the roof cave in on the Red Raiders as Raider Tello reached on an infield hit before Moseley delivered.

Iowa also scored an unearned run in the first when Huckstorf stole third base and scored on catcher Hudson White's throwing error.

Tech went into the weekend with 28 errors, tied for fourth most among 295 teams in NCAA Division I.

"I really think we've made plays, other than maybe today, when you need to make them," Tadlock said. "Again, these guys aren't pros. Maybe we're asking too much of a guy to come off the bench and go play, guys that have played their whole life. Those decisions are mine. You probably want to keep guys in the flow of the game.

"But no, I don't think it's something to worry about. I actually thought this weekend there was some good and some bad, but most of the time when we've had to do things (defensively), we've done them."

McGarrh entered the game at shortstop in the top of the ninth after Zac Vooletich pinch hit for starter Tracer Lopez leading off the eighth with the score tied 7-7. McGarrh, Lopez and shortstop Will Burns, who Tadlock said was unavailable Sunday, all are freshmen.

"Which, Cade's a good defender," Tadlock said. "He's always been able to defend, so (his error) was very surprising."

Huckstorf doubled, homered and singled for the Hawkeyes.

Kash's home run was a three-run drive that gave Tech a 5-4 lead in the third. The homers by Carter and Bazzell were leadoff shots in the sixth and seventh, respectively.

The series was part of a nine-game homestand for the Red Raiders. They host Texas-Arlington (7-8) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and 2 p.m. Wednesday and No. 15 Oklahoma State (14-3) in the first Big 12 series next weekend.

IOWA 10, TEXAS TECH 9

Iowa 211 201 003 — 10 11 2

Texas Tech 014 001 002 — 9 7 3

Morgan, Llewellyn (5), Obermueller (7) and Moss; Robinson, Fast (4), Devine (4), J. Lopez (7), Free (9), J. Sanders (9), Bravo (9) and White. W—Obermueller (1-0). L—Free (1-1). 2B—Iowa, Huckstorf (2), Hojnar (3), Seegers (2), Moseley (1). HR—Iowa, Huckstorf (3); Texas Tech, Kash (6), Carter (5), Bazzell (3), Green (3). Records: Iowa 11-3, Texas Tech 14-3.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Rocky ninth dooms Tech in loss to Iowa