Texas Tech Athletics
Northern Illinois
Pitching Dominates in Tech's Series Sweep Over NIU
February 21, 2015 | Baseball
Feb. 21, 2015
LUBBOCK, Texas - No. 5 Texas Tech completed its four-game series sweep over Northern Illinois on Saturday with impressive pitching during a pair of victories, 6-4 and 6-0, in front of 4,086 fans at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
The Texas Tech (8-1) pitching staff posted 35 scoreless innings pitched during the four-game series (36 total innings pitched). The Red Raiders have now swept back-to-back four-game home series to start their campaign and broke a school record with sweeping six consecutive home series dating back to last season.
The day started with sophomore left-handed pitcher Dylan Dusek (2-0) earning his 10th career win pitching six scoreless innings with three strikeouts and four walks while allowing four hits.
NIU starter Dirk Orsmby (1-1) took the loss allowing five runs on five hits with a strikeout and three walks. Tech senior right-handed pitcher Corey Taylor pitched the final 0.2 innings to claim his first save of the season.
The Red Raiders scored four runs in the third and added a run in the fifth and sixth innings as senior shortstop Tim Proudfoot went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. Junior catcher Tyler Floyd also had a multi-hit game going 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Freshman left-handed pitcher Jacob Patterson came on in relief of Dusek while striking out five batters in two scoreless innings.
The Red Raiders used three pitchers in the ninth inning to secure the win. The ninth inning in the opener was the only inning of the weekend that NIU plated a run while scoring four in the ninth inning.
Texas Tech jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second game as junior outfielder Tyler Neslony extended his hit streak to nine games with a two-run homer in the first inning. A sacrifice fly by Proudfoot and an RBI groundout by catcher Tyler Floyd gave the Red Raiders an early four-run lead.
Sophomore lefty Ty Damron (2-0) pitched a career-high six innings and matched a career-high four strikeouts earning the win while allowing just four hits during his first career scoreless start.
Junior right-handed pitcher Dalton Brown (2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BB) and freshman left-handed pitcher Parker Mushinski (1.0 IP, BB, SO) each pitched in relief of game two without allowing a run.
Freshman outfielder Tanner Gardner went 3-for-4 and hit his first career home run - a two-run shot - over the right-field wall in the fifth inning to score Tech's final runs of the game.
The Red Raiders will be back in action on Tuesday, Feb. 24, hitting the road for the first time with a 4 p.m. first pitch at Abilene Christian at Crutcher Scott Field in Abilene, Texas.
NOTES:
- Texas Tech leads NIU 20-2 in the all-time series with a 18-2 advantage in games played in Lubbock ... Tech has won 14 straight games against NIU dating back to 2007.
- The Red Raiders are 45-6 in home non-conference games under third-year head coach Tim Tadlock.
- The Tech pitching staff had 29 consecutive scoreless innings pitched dating back to Tuesday's Nevada game before NIU scored four runs in the ninth inning during the first game today.
- Tech has hit nine home runs in nine games ... last season it took Tech 25 games to hit nine home runs.
- Dylan Dusek improved to 10-0 during his two-year Tech career.
- Tech is now 15-1 during Dusek's 16 career starts.
- Eric Gutierrez has started in 131 straight games - spanning his entire three-year Tech career.
- Eric Gutierrez has reached base safely in 27-of-41 plate appearances this season.
- Tyler Neslony hit his second home run of the season (6th career).
- Tyler Neslony has a nine-game hit streak.
- Tim Proudfoot led the Red Raiders in the series with NIU batting .462 (6-for-13).
