TCU Baseball: Frogs Drop Rubber Game In Disappointing Series Against UNC Wilmington

After a strong performance on Saturday night that saw TCU plate 17 runs against UNC Wilmington, the Frogs looked to snatch the series with a victory on Sunday. As the established Sunday starter, Cam Brown took the hill for TCU for his 10th start of the season. The highly-touted MLB Draft prospect has endured his fair share of struggles this season and is coming off a difficult outing against Oklahoma State.

While the Frogs secured a victory last Saturday, Brown threw three innings, giving up five runs on five hits and four walks. Hopeful for an improved outing on Sunday, the junior only lasted 1 ⅔ innings. Tre Richardson launched a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the first, but despite the early advantage, Brown was knocked out of the game after just 63 pitches, conceding four runs on three hits and two walks.

Left-hander Chase Hoover entered the game in relief and got the final out of the second inning but soon encountered trouble in the third. A four-pitch walk to lead off the top of the third set the Seahawks up for a big inning. Outfielder Trevor Marsh knocked a base hit into right field, scoring John Newton from second base, and a two-run single from Taber Mongero extended UNC Wilmington's lead to 7-1.

The Frogs answered back with a blast in the bottom half after free passes by Wilmington's starting pitcher Ryan Calvert. Plunking David Bishop and walking Elijah Nuñez and Richardson loaded the bases with one out. After working into a jam, Calvert was taken out and replaced by Connor Kane. Taking the first pitch for a strike, Brayden Taylor cranked the second pitch for a grand slam to center field, bringing TCU within two runs of the Seahawks. Taylor's 12th home run of the season was a bang that got all of Lupton Stadium to its feet.

Although Kane had a rocky introduction to the game, he settled down and dominated the TCU batting order. A sharp outing from relief, Kane went 5 ⅔ innings, giving up three runs on two hits and two walks while striking out six batters. He retired 17 of the 22 batters he faced and shut down the Horned Frog bats on Sunday. During Kane's outing of brilliance, the Seahawks jumped further ahead of the Frogs after a four-run top of the sixth. Jac Croome plated the Seahawks' ninth run of the day with an RBI single, and a three-run home run from Alec DeMartino extended their lead to 12-5.

Despite Taylor hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning, his second of the day and 13th of the season, it was not enough to inspire a Lupton magic comeback. Dropping two of three to UNC Wilmington this weekend will leave a sour taste in the mouths of Horned Frog fans and the players and coaches.

In what has already been an inconsistent season, the Frogs have yet to come up with an answer for the struggles. Each game against UNC Wilmington was a blowout that showed a different version of Horned Frog baseball. A 14-6 loss Friday night was followed by a 17-5 victory on Saturday, and capped off with a disappointing 12-6 loss on Sunday, seeing UNC Wilmington outscore TCU 31-29 in the series.

Perhaps one of the most concerning aspects of this TCU Baseball team is its pitching. A lack of consistency on the pitching side can cause a difficult task for a coaching staff. TCU's only consistent starting pitcher has been the freshman Kole Klecker, who is 7-2 with a 3.42 ERA. Looking at TCU's pitching staff, it is filled with youngsters. Therefore, it is understandable to see some issues in pitching as there is a lack of experience. This inconsistency is especially concerning from established individuals like Brown.

Aside from inconsistency, the primary issue is that TCU starters struggle to pitch deep into games, making it incredibly challenging for the team's bullpen and relievers. Over the last five games, TCU's bullpen has out-pitched its starters 25 ⅔ innings to 19 ⅔ innings.

It is unacceptable to have a bullpen pitch more than its starters. Not only does this cause immediate problems on a game-to-game basis, but it also takes a toll on relievers over the course of a season. It creates a situation where relievers are pitching on a regular basis and exhausting themselves due to a lack of efficient starting pitching.

So what does this series loss mean for TCU Baseball going forward?

Much the same–it is difficult to make significant adjustments in the middle of a season. Furthermore, pitching has been an issue all season, and it will remain a problem for this team and coaching staff to figure out. A positive to take away from this series was the TCU offense, which has now scored six runs or more in nine straight games. While offense plays a massive role, it must be balanced with proper pitching to get the job done.

With Sunday's loss, the Frogs are now 22-14 on the season. They remain 7-5 in the Big 12, sitting third behind Texas (8-4) and Kansas State (9-6), respectively. Entering the weekend at No. 25 in the AP Top 25 polls, the Frogs will likely exit the rankings after dropping the series.

TCU will look to get back in the winning column when they host Lamar University on Tuesday at 6:00 pm at Lupton Stadium. Lamar University is currently 19-16 (5-7 in the Southland Conference) after conceding a three-game series sweep by fellow Southland Conference team, the University of Incarnate Word.

Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Killer Frogs message board community today!

Follow KillerFrogs on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest TCU news! Follow KillerFrogs on Facebook and Instagram as well. Download the KillerFrogs app on Google Play or in the Apple App Store.