Texas Tech Athletics
#2 TCU
Cameron Smith Leads No. 19 Tech Over No. 2 TCU
April 03, 2015 | Baseball
Smith allowed one run in the first complete game by a Red Raider this season while posting six strikeouts in his 12th career victory.
April 3, 2015
LUBBOCK, Texas - Senior Cameron Smith pitched his second career complete game with six strikeouts leading No. 19 Texas Tech to a 5-1 victory over No. 2 TCU while evening the three-game Big 12 series on Friday afternoon in front of 3,974 fans at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
Tech (19-12, 4-4 Big 12) scored three in the third and a run in each the fourth and fifth innings and left the rest to Smith, who now has complete games against the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the country during his two-year career.
TCU (22-6, 5-3 Big 12) had only three base runners reach scoring position after the second inning while Tech out-hit the Horned Frogs, 11-5.
Smith (4-2), who leads all active Red Raiders with 12 career wins, allowed five hits and only one run with six strikeouts and two walks in his team-leading fourth win of the season.
TCU starter, and reigning Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, Preston Morrison (6-1) suffered his first loss of the season and second straight Big 12 loss to the Red Raiders while going 4.1 innings allowing five runs (4 ER) on seven hits with one strikeout and a walk. Morrison has now suffered two of his last three losses to the Red Raiders dating back to last season.
Trailing by a run in the second, Tech responded with three runs to take a 3-1 lead following junior outfielder Quinn Carpenter's two-run double to right-center field and freshman shortstop Orlando Garcia's RBI safety-squeeze bunt base hit to score Carpenter.
Tech plated an unearned run in the fourth as third baseman Ryan Long reached on a fielding error by TCU second baseman Garrett Crain, and then scored from first base on Garcia's RBI double into right field.
Garcia went 3-for-4 with two RBI during his first career Big 12 start at shortstop.
Junior outfielder Tyler Neslony gave Tech a 5-1 lead with an RBI single to center field scoring pinch runner Zach Davis, who entered the game to run for freshman outfielder Tanner Gardner who tripled to right field to leadoff the inning.
Smith retired the Horned Frogs in order three times and held TCU to a .176 (3-for-17) batting average with two outs in the contest.
Junior first baseman Eric Gutierrez went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk while joining Garcia with multiple hits.
Texas Tech and TCU will play the rubber game of the three-game series on Saturday, April 4 with first pitch set for 2 p.m. CT. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Ty Damron will get his team-leading eighth start of the season for the Red Raiders and will face TCU left-handed pitcher Alex Young.
NOTES:
- Texas Tech improved to 69-88-1 all-time against TCU - series dates back to 1957 ... Red Raiders lead the all-time series 37-34-1 in games played in Lubbock ... Tech has won game two of the Big 12 series against TCU in back-to-back seasons (won 10-2 vs. TCU last season in Fort Worth).
- Texas Tech defeated RHP Preston Morrison for the second straight season in Big 12 play ... last season the Red Raiders gave Morrison his shortest career start (2.0 IP) during a game two 10-2 victory in Fort Worth ... Morrison is 0-2 against Tech during Big 12 play the last two seasons with an 11.80 ERA in 6.1 innings with 13 hits, nine runs, eight earned runs, three walks and one strikeout in two starts in Big 12 play (2013-14).
- Texas Tech improved to 8-0 under third-year head coach Tim Tadlock in game two of a home series played in the afternoon.
- Texas Tech is 49-9 at home the last two seasons.
- Texas Tech has 35 come-from-behind wins under head coach Tim Tadlock ... nine have come this season.
- Texas Tech has won 20 games against ranked opponents under head coach Tim Tadlock, including seven games against opponents ranked in the top-10.
- Cameron Smith improved to 4-2 this season and to 12-5 during his Tech career ... leads all active Red Raiders in career wins ... marked his second career complete game
- first came at No. 3 Miami (Fla.) in the 2014 NCAA Coral Gables Regional final during Tech's 4-0 victory ... Tech is now 9-2 during Cameron Smith's 11 career starts ... Tech is now 23-10 during Smith's 33 career appearances ... Smith owns a collegiate record of 29-9 during his four years in college (New Mexico JC/Texas Tech) in 58 career outings.
- Cameron Smith made his seventh straight start pitching at least five innings.
- Cameron Smith has allowed three or fewer runs in all seven starts this season.
- Texas Tech had eight players record a base hit in the game.
- Quinn Carpenter is batting .450 (9-for-20) with runners in scoring position this season.
- Orlando Garcia made his first career Big 12 start at shortstop ... recorded his third multi-hit game of the season.
- Tanner Gardner hit his first career triple.
- Tyler Neslony has reached base safely in 23 consecutive games.
- Anthony Lyons has a career-long six-game hit streak.
- Eric Gutierrez has started in 153 straight games - spanning his entire three-year Tech career.
#TexasTech senior LHP Cameron Smith leads all active Red Raiders with 12 career wins #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/DC4ReXX30a
-- Scott Lacefield (@ScottLacefield) April 4, 2015
FINAL - No. 19 Texas Tech defeats No. 2 TCU, 5-1. Cameron Smith throws a complete game #WreckEm #RAIDER #POWER
-- Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) April 3, 2015
Big 5-1 win for @TTU_Baseball over TCU today behind a complete game from Cameron Smith @Cameron11Smith . Rubber match tomorrow at 2.
Big 5-1 win for @TTU_Baseball over TCU today behind a complete game from Cameron Smith @Cameron11Smith . Rubber match tomorrow at 2.
-- Jamie Lent (@TTLent) April 3, 2015
What an outing from Cameron Smith. Big time effort, big time win! http://t.co/zvZUJKa7vS
-- Matt Roberts (@MattRobertsKLBK) April 3, 2015
Texas Tech splits the series with TCU after a 5-1 win in the second game. Cameron Smith pitched all 9 and allowed only 1 run.
-- Alyssa Chrisope (@alyssachrisope) April 3, 2015
Cameron Smith with a GEM! #wreckedTCU
-- Ryan Pinson (@taylormadepins) April 3, 2015
Awesome outing for Cameron Smith--complete game, 1 ER. Big win over TCU! #WreckEm #TexasTech
-- Matthew Simmons (@mattsdesigns) April 3, 2015
Huge 5-1 win for #TexasTech Baseball over No. 2 TCU! What an effort by senior Cameron Smith for the complete game. Rubber match tomorrow!
-- Courtney Davis (@courtneycdavis) April 3, 2015
A complete game is an understatement wow. Cameron Smith was ON.
-- Ryan Medellin (@Ryan_Medellin) April 3, 2015
If you like dominant pitching, look no further than Cameron Smith's performance today to tie the series up vs #2 TCU.
-- WreckEmTech (@Guns_Up_TTU) April 3, 2015
Cameron Smith with a complete game in #TexasTech's 5-1 win over TCU. What a performance. 1 earned run, 5 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts.
-- Will McKay (@Will_R_Mckay) April 3, 2015
