A Saturday like no other

Feb 19, 2023 - 1:00 PM

Baseball, softball, and both basketball programs were in action today. And even more insane, almost all of them played in the same window.

The day started with the men’s basketball team, as Texas Tech looked to earn a third win in Morgantown over the Mountaineers. The game featured Jaylon Tyson having a career day, leading the way with 27 points. Pop Isaacs also returned to action, scoring 15 as the second leading scorer.

Despite their efforts, this game swung back and forth all morning and into the afternoon (assuming you are a central time viewer like myself). West Virginia would actually claim a late 8-point lead, and then Tech’s defense stiffened shutting down the Mountaineer offense over the final four minutes.

Additionally, a career 33% free throw shooter in Aimaq would hit 10-10 free throws. His free throw shooting would ice the game for Texas Tech, and the Red Raiders would claim a narrow road victory. Now with three straight wins, Tech is creeping closer and closer to the tournament bubble. Winning out would basically guarantee a bid, but even just ³⁄₄ would likely seal the deal.

Next, the diamond heated up with baseball up against Gonzaga in game two of their opening weekend series. Mason Molina would take the start, and he was sublime. Seven strikeouts in five scoreless innings as the returning pitcher would begin his new year with a bang. The relief pitching held up well as well, but another offensive barrage would carry tech to a 10-3 win over the Zags.

But the diamond was not done, as at the same time the softball squad was up. Softball would actually play twice today, first a back-and-forth affair against the New Mexico Lobos that would see Tech narrowly hang on for a 12-7 run on the backs of dingers and strong offense. Game two, a late-night affair against UTEP, would be even more contested with Tech taking the contest in the seventh 8-6. But the day had another event going on.

At the same time as baseball and the first softball game, the women’s basketball team would hold their Senior Night outing. And this was an absolutely wild affair. Bre’Amber Scott would lead with 30 points, with Gerlich and Ferrell at 13 and 15 points respectively. The insanity of this game was while the Lady Raiders would fall, this game would go into triple overtime. In both the first and second overtime, the Lady Raiders would be forced to dig out of deficits to force the next overtime period.

The fight they have showed all year was definitely on display, as it really felt like the whole damn team was banged up by the end of this contest.

So, one of the busier days in tech sporting history is all summed up right? Surely, nothing else Tech related was going on. Well, now we check in on an alum tearing it up at the Dunk Contest.

Mac McClung, the first G-Leaguer (now NBA player) to be called to the Dunk Contest, put his incredible talents on display for the nation. Successfully hitting every dunk on one attempt, and being a point away from a true perfect night, McClung was the star of the show and clear winner.

What a freaking wild Saturday that had a lot of Red Raiders winning. It was a hell of a ride and a blast, though it was hard to focus on any one exciting event with everything happening at once so maybe the schedule will be far friendlier next time.