TCU Baseball: Frogs victorious 9-5 over the Trojans
Remarkable.
That is one of the many ways to describe the start to this TCU Baseball season, as the Frogs are 12-0 for the first time in program history.
After clinching a 9-8 victory in extra innings over USC on Friday and an 11-9 win over Arizona State on Saturday, TCU returned to Globe Life Field for another date with the Trojans.
The Frogs jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first. On the first pitch of the ballgame, leadoff hitter Peyton Chatagnier doubled to left field before stealing third base. After a popout from the red-hot freshman Sam Myers, Kurtis Byrne singled Chatagnier home.
Peyton Chatagnier (1) stands at second base after a leadoff double.
Brian McLean, On Assignment Photo/KillerFrogs
The Trojans answered back in the bottom half of the inning, scoring two runs on two hits. A freak play saw TCU starter Zack Morris take a liner off the left eye, but he finished the inning before being taken out after one inning.
Now down 2-1, the Frogs put up five runs in the top of the second. Five runs on five hits to take a commanding 6-2 lead. With the bases loaded, Myers spanked a two-run single, scoring Micah Kendrick and Ryder Robinson.
Just two batters later, Logan Maxwell hit a sacrifice fly before Karson Bowen singled home a run to make it 5-2. To cap off the inning, the veteran switch-hitting Luke Boyers singled in a run to extend the TCU lead to 6-2.
USC would go on to score two runs in the bottom half of the inning, via the two-run single courtesy of Jacob Galloway.
A hot start for both teams at the plate, pitching slowly settled in for the Frogs and the Trojans as well. With Morris only going an inning, Storm Hierholzer made his first appearance for TCU since May 7, 2022. In two innings, he surrendered three runs on two hits and a walk. Morris and Hierholzer combined for five earned runs, but what followed from the TCU bullpen was a masterclass. Graduate student from Tennessee Tech Colt Taylor made his Horned Frog debut pitching one scoreless inning before 6-foot-7 righty Mason Bixby made his collegiate debut. The freshman from San Antonio dominated through three innings of shutout baseball, surrendering only two hits and a walk and striking out five batters.
To close things out, TCU’s ace in the bullpen, Zachary Cawyer, pitched two no-hit innings before securing a 9-5 victory over USC.
For the Frogs, it wasn’t the cleanest weekend pitching-wise. Allowing a total of 22 runs, TCU made things much more difficult than they could have been. Fortunately, the offense has continued to find ways to plate more and more runs across.
Sam Myers, a freshman outfielder from Cypress, TX, continues to tear it up. During the Kubota College Classic, he went 7-for-15 (.466) with five runs and six RBIs.
Not to mention, Ryder Robinson has also found his way back into the lineup with some promising performances. After starting the season 1-for-9, the freshman infielder is hitting .345 after what was a hot weekend at the plate–6-for-13 (.462) with three runs and four RBI.
After winning the three games over the weekend, TCU is now 15-5 since 2021 at Globe Life Field. Of all the college teams that have played multiple games in the stadium, TCU has the best, by far, record. Over the last two seasons, TCU has averaged over 10 runs per game played there. The Horned Frogs hope to return to Globe Life Field in May for the Big 12 Championship.
There is production up and down the batting order no matter who comes up to the plate for the Horned Frogs. For some, it may appear that this is problematic in the sense of how do you choose a lineup when everyone is so hot? But, in reality, it’s a great problem to have, and perhaps an embarrassment of riches, when each player is able to find success at the dish.
One aspect of the team that still needs ironing out is pitching–whether that be starting or relieving, consistency is lacking. It obviously doesn’t help when a team plays two extra-inning games in a week, as many arms get used, but TCU has surrendered multiple leads and blown saves, making it more difficult than it should be.
Now, what’s getting this team through it?
Trust.
Trust between the hitters and pitchers. Trust in the hitters to provide run support and trust in the pitchers to keep any deficit close enough to give the offense a chance. Trust by the coaching staff. Trust to rely on the young freshmen in this team, whether that’s at the plate or on the mound.
Don’t look away now–TCU has got something brewing here in Fort Worth.
The Frogs will be back in action when they host the visiting Abilene Christian University Wildcats on Tuesday. First pitch from Lupton Stadium is slated for 6:00 p.m.
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