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TCU Baseball: Baylor Series Recap
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Riley Cornelio was untouchable, the Frogs got an extra innings victory, and 3b Brayden Taylor and 1b David Bishop hit back-to-back jacks for the second time this week in what was a thrilling weekend of baseball to open Big 12 conference play.
TCU got the win Friday night behind the arm of Cornelio in what was the best starting pitching performance of the year for the Frogs. TCU was able to secure the series victory with an extra inning win on Saturday, while the Baylor Bears were able to salvage a win on Sunday.
Coach Kirk Saarloos has been tinkering with his starting rotation for a couple of weeks in an attempt to try to get through their ongoing struggles. He pulled the right lever on Friday night, giving Cornelio the start to lead off a series for the first time this year. Cornelio was spectacular, going 8 innings and allowing no runs on 2 hits and just 1 walk while racking up 7 strike outs. River Ridings came on in the 9th to record his 5th save of the season while Cornelio got the win to run his season record to 2-1.
Taylor went 2-4 with a couple of singles while SS Tommy Sacco supplied the power with a double and his second home run of the season.
Cornelio's dominant outing earned him Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors.
Brett Walker, who had been the Sunday starter at the beginning of the year, got the call in game two Saturday. Walker gave up a 2-run home run in the first inning to Baylor 3-hole hitter and CF Jared McKenzie, and was pulled in the middle of the third inning having allowed 4 runs. Luckily for TCU, Tommy Sacco; who's hot hitting has seen him rise to the fifth spot in the TCU batting lineup. With 2 outs in the top of the third and TCU ahead 3-2, Sacco would step to the plate with the bases loaded:
Sacco's double in the right center gap would roll all the way to the wall, driving in two more runs and extending the Frogs' lead 5-2.
With the Bears getting to Walker, coach Saarloos would go to the bullpen in the third inning, bringing in freshman right hander Cohen Feser. Feser pitched admirable in his first Big 12 conference game, allowing just one earned run through 2.1 innings of relief work. After Garrett Wright and Augie Mihlbauer would record one out a piece, Marcelo Perez would come in and continue his season long tight rope act, allowing runners to get aboard but preventing them from coming across home plate for the most part. Perez would go 3.1 innings allowing 2 runs, 1 earned on 3 hits, 1 bb, 1 wild pitch with 5 strikeouts and 54 pitches thrown. He lead the TCU pitching staff on Saturday recording the most outs, strikeouts, and pitches thrown. The bullpen gave the Frog bats a chance on Saturday and the delivered in the clutch once again, putting up 3 runs in the top of the ninth to send the game into extra innings. The Frogs would not allow a run in the 9th or 10th innings, with Perez setting up the win for Luke Savage, and River Ridings getting another save on back-to-back days.
The Frogs would win it in the 11th inning with runs scored on a walk to Mason Speaker and a fielders choice on an Elijah Nunez ground ball.
With the series win already secured, sophomore and regular Tuesday starter Cam Brown took the mound for TCU on Sunday. Brown would go 5 innings allowing 4 earned runs on 7 hits and 1 walk while recording 5 strikeouts. The TCU bats offered Brown no support during his outing, getting completely shutdown by 6'6 right handed sophomore Will Rigney, who recorded his first win of the season. Although the Horned Frogs bats were not able to scrape together another come from behind win on Sunday, they did provide TCU fans with some excitement for the second time this week:
In the form of back-to-back jacks by the two star power hitters Taylor and Bishop.
The TCU Horned Frogs will travel to Abiline Christian of Tuesday before returning home for a weekend series against Kansas State, who broke TCU hearts to end the season last year.
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