Texas Tech to third CWS in five years

LUBBOCK, Texas—Gabe Holt, Michael Davis and Brian Klein all homered for Texas Tech, which is going to the College World Series for the third time in five seasons after beating Duke 6-2 on Monday.

The Red Raiders (44-18) went ahead to stay when Davis hit a tworun homer in the fourth to break a 1-1 tie in the deciding game of the best-of-three NCAA super regional.

It was the 12th homer of the season for the senior shortstop, the only current position player who started a game during their last trip to Omaha two years ago. He was playing second base then.

Klein went deep in the seventh to make it 4-2 with his fourth homer of the season. Holt’s sixth homer was a solo shot in the third, and he added an RBI single in the eighth.

Jimmy Herron had three hits and both RBIs for Duke (45-18). He had an RBI infield single in the fourth, and a run-scoring triple in the sixth.

Ty Harpenau (7-2) allowed one run while working three innings in relief, striking out three and walking one. Dylan Dusek, the fifth-year senior and only player to be part of all three CWS seasons for Texas Tech, took over with a runner on and no outs in the ninth and finished for his first save.

Matt Dockman (0-1), the third of six Duke pitchers, gave up hits to the only two batters he faced, including Davis’ home run.

Texas Tech, which has made all of its College World Series appearances in coach Tim Tadlock’s six years, was the second Big 12 team to advance to Omaha. Texas won at home earlier Monday over Tennessee Tech.

LONG, LONG TIME

Duke has been to the College World Series three times, but the last was 1961. The longest gap between College World Series appearances still belongs to Oregon State, which hadn’t been to Omaha since 1952 when the Beavers made it again in 2005—53 years later. … The Blue Devils were trying to join Rice in 1999 and Florida State in 2008 as the only teams to win six elimination games to make it to Omaha. They won five consecutive elimination games before Monday.

RED RAIDERS RETURN

While Dusek has been part of three CWS trips, he hasn’t yet appeared in a game at Omaha. Only four current Red Raiders actually played in the 2016 CWS: Davis and a trio of pitchers: Steven Gingery, Davis Martin and Erikson Lanning.

A SCORCHER

Temperatures were in the upper 90s for the afternoon game in Lubbock, and the turf playing field registered at more than 150 degrees.