Killer Frogs

TCU Baseball: Frogs Fall to Knights 4-2 in Rubber Match

No. 25 TCU was stymied to just five hits in Saturday's series finale in Orlando

Ian Napetian

No. 25 TCU falls to the UCF Knights 4-2 in Saturday's series finale
No. 25 TCU falls to the UCF Knights 4-2 in Saturday's series finale / TCU Baseball on X

2. 466. 4/19 UCF BB. 4. 455. Final

The TCU Horned Frogs (29-12, 12-6 Big 12) dropped Saturday's rubber match against the UCF Knights (22-17, 6-12 Big 12) in Orlando.

The Frogs jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the second inning. After a pair of singles by Noah Franco and Nolan Traeger put runners in scoring position, Anthony Silva grounded out to the shortstop and scratched across the first run of the ballgame. Sam Myers then plated Traeger from third with a single into right field.

Pitching with a two run lead, Caedmon Parker faced trouble in the bottom of the second. Andrew Sundean hit a solo home run before Braden Calise tied the game with an RBI single.

In the fourth, the Knights took a 3-2 lead before knocking Parker out of the ballgame after allowing  three runs on five hits and a walk through 3 ⅓ innings. Saturday was just the second time this season Parker had tossed less than four innings.

Mason Brassfield pitched the rest of the way for TCU, surrendering one run on three hits in 4 ⅔ innings.

For the Frogs their offense was stymied. Of Saturday's five hits, three came in the two-run second. TCU was further unable to draw any free passes as Knights right-handed pitcher Matt Sauser was spectacular.

The sophomore struck out eight Frogs on Saturday and tossed eight innings of two run baseball en route to his third win of the season. Sauser now improves to 3-0 with a 1.82 ERA. Alex Galvan clinched his second save of the year after pitching a scoreless ninth.

Caedmon Parker was tagged for his first loss of the season and now sits 2-1 with a 4.01 ERA. The redshirt-senior failed to strike out a batter in an outing for just the second time this season.

TCU now falls to 29-12 overall and 12-6 in the Big 12 after dropping the series to the Knights. After jumping back into the D1 Baseball rankings at No. 25, TCU went 1-3 on the week.

Concerns:

The hitting for TCU over the last two games has struggled immensely. Just 13-for-65, a batting average of .200, between Friday and Saturday was TCU's demise. Outside of the hits, the Frogs only worked two free passes in the final two games–both coming on Friday night.

After a promising jump into D1 Baseball’s Top 25 after a sweep of Kansas, the Frogs will most likely drop out the rankings after suffering a 1-3 record this week.

Between a 6-5 midweek loss at home to a quality DBU squad and a series loss away to UCF, the Frogs have the odds against them in their hopes of returning to the Top 25.

Bright Spots:

The Frogs will undoubtedly leave Orlando with a sour taste in their mouths, but there are positive takeaways from the series.

Tommy LaPour continues to prove he is the most talented and consistent starting pitcher for the Frogs. He earned his sixth win of the season after a lights-out performance on Thursday night. The right-hander tossed seven innings and struck out four, allowing one unearned run.

The transfer from Wichita State now sits at 6-2 with a 2.15 ERA.

While the offense struggled in the backend of the series against UCF, a consistent Friday-night starter is what TCU will continue to rely on.

Tommy LaPour is a tone-setter. He has been that for TCU all season and will continue to play an integral role for the Frogs in the final month of the regular season.

What’s Next?

TCU will now turn all focus to the Baylor Bears (25-14, 8-10 Big 12) before hosting their in-state rivals to a weekend series beginning Friday, April 25. Without a midweek game, the Frogs will have ample time to rest, recover and prepare for their foes from Waco.

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Ian Napetian
IAN NAPETIAN

Ian Napetian is currently pursuing a double-major in Journalism and Sports Broadcasting at TCU. He is the creator and host the sports-talk radio show Riff Ram Review on 88.7 KTCU The Choice. He also hosts pregame and postgame shows for TCU Baseball and Women's Basketball on 88.7 The Choice. Additionally, he enjoys attending TCU sporting events with his friends.

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