TCU Baseball: Horned Frogs Roll Their Way To Big 12 Tournament Championship
After a dominant three games to start the Big 12 Tournament at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Kirk Saarloos and the Frogs were tasked with a single-game, win-or-go-home face-off against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Leading up to Sunday’s championship game, the Frogs' offense ran rampant. A strong force in May, TCU posted 36 runs in three games and only conceded 10. The Frogs eased their way past Kansas State and Kansas, run-ruling both, and faced Kansas State a second time, winning 6-3.
With the Cowboys from Stillwater, Oklahoma on the horizon, the Frogs were confident going into Sunday’s game. The two teams first met earlier this season in early April. The Frogs welcomed the Cowboys to Lupton Stadium where despite dropping the first game by a score of 7-6, the Frogs rallied and won the following two games, securing the all-important, conference series win.
Having pitched Cam Brown, Kole Klecker, and Sam Stoutenborough in the three games prior, it was the freshman southpaw from Santa Barbara, Chase Hoover, who got the nod for the Frogs.
Hoover got the job done, but it wasn’t without some high-stress moments. The left-hander forced himself into trouble with runners on the corners in both the 1st and 2nd innings but managed to dig himself out of the jam without allowing damage.
On the other side of the ball, the Horned Frogs' offense jumped out to a flying start. Following two consecutive singles in the 2nd, Anthony Silva knocked in Tre Richardson for the game’s first run courtesy of an RBI single. Bringing up Luke Boyers, the switch-hitting outfield launched a 3-run shot eight rows into the right field seats. Oklahoma’s Ben Abram lofted a pitch down the heart of the plate, and Boyers took full advantage.
Ahead 4-0, the Frogs continued to add to their lead in the 3rd inning. With the bases loaded, Richardson found the gap in right-center, bringing in two runs before Cole Fontenelle would be thrown out at home. Richardson, now at second with one away, Kurtis Byrne extended the lead with an RBI single. After the Cowboys proceeded to load the bases once again, Austin Davis plated the Frogs’ fourth run of the inning, making it an 8-0 ballgame.
Hoover took the mound for the third inning, but his night would be cut short after loading the bases on a single, and two hit batters. Saarloos called for right-hander Luke Savage who limited the damage to only two runs. For Hoover, it was a respectable outing given his freshman status and the stage on which he performed. The left-hander finished with two innings of work, giving up two runs on two hits and issuing three walks.
Offensively, the Frogs cushioned their lead with an RBI groundout in the 5th and an RBI single in the 7th, courtesy of Davis. It was not until the 8th inning that Brayden Taylor shut the door with a monstrous 2-run homer. It was Taylor’s 21st home run of the season and 46th of his TCU career, extending the program record.
Following a tremendous performance from Savage, Cohen Feser and Garrett Wright came in and closed out the game.
The Frogs finished the Big 12 season in style, bringing some silverware back to Fort Worth. It was a troubling season in the early going, but the Frogs finished with a 14-2 record in May.
With Sunday’s Big 12 Championship victory, the Frogs have secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The selection show will be held on Monday at 11 am CT.
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