TCU Baseball: Oklahoma Sooners Series Recap
The Horned Frogs started Big 12 Conference play on the road this weekend as the team made its way up to Norman to take on the Oklahoma Sooners.
No. 11 TCU was victorious on Friday as they clobbered the Sooners 13-5, but found themselves in the losing column after a 3-1 defeat on Saturday. After splitting the opening two games of the series, the Sooners and the Frogs traded blows in a tremendous rubber match on Sunday that saw the Sooners secure a 7-5 comeback victory.
Coming off a solid start against the University of San Diego a week ago, Cam Brown took the mound for the Frogs. Brown exhausted himself after a 26-pitch 1st inning, but settled down and pitched four innings of shutout baseball.
The Frogs jumped out in front after a two-run 4th inning. Tre Richardson reached on a fielder’s choice and was brought home courtesy of an RBI double by Karson Bowen. Following Bowen’s knock and a walk issued to Cole Fontenelle, the Frogs soon doubled their lead. Logan Maxwell reached on a perfectly-laid bunt toward third base, which resulted in a throwing error by Sooners pitcher, James Hitt. Trying to throw Maxwell out at first, Hitt airmailed the ball over the first baseman, allowing Bowen to score.
Replaced by right-hander Will Carsten, Hitt’s day was done after 4.1 innings where he gave up 2 runs, 1 earned, on 3 hits. Carsten was assigned to finish the inning but ran into trouble with the red-hot Brayden Taylor coming to the dish. On the first pitch, Taylor launched a homer to right field to extend the TCU lead to 3-0. Taylor’s 7th home run of the year comes as he has hit three in his last three games.
While TCU got out to a comfortable lead, the Sooners immediately found their way back into the contest. After working the bases loaded, the Sooners knocked Brown out of the game, making way for reliever Louis Rodriguez. Rodriguez was able to get out of the inning, but damage was done as Oklahoma plated two runs across courtesy of a fielder’s choice by Bryce Madron and a Dakota Harris RBI single. Brown's outing finished after 82 pitches through 4.1 innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and a walk.
The Sooners weren’t done yet as they found themselves in a threatening situation in the bottom half of the 6th. A single, a walk, and a hit by pitch loaded the bases for Oklahoma once again. Rodriguez proceeded to then peg Rocco Garza-Gongora to push a run across home plate to make it a 3-3 ballgame.
Just as the Sooners came back, the Frogs replenished their lead with a tremendous 7th inning. Austin Davis got things underway with a one-out double. Taylor was then intentionally walked, which then allowed Richardson to load the bases with a single. Bowen, who doubled-in TCU’s first run of the game, came in with a clutch 2-run single to put the Frogs back in front 5-3.
As if the game wasn’t enthralling enough, the Sooners answered back with an emphatic bottom half of the 7th. Working two-quick outs, it seemed the Frogs were going to stroll through the inning, but back-to-back singles saw the Sooners begin a two-out rally. After 2.1 innings of work by Rodriguez, Ben Abeldt came into a difficult situation with runners in scoring position. The pinch-hitting John Spikerman laced a ball that bounced off Richardson’s glove and into right field. Scored as an error, Diego Muniz and Easton Carmichael came around third to even the game at 5-a-piece.
Following the harsh error called on Richardson, Kendal Pettis singled and proceeded to steal second base, putting runners on second and third. Oklahoma’s Anthony Mackenzie then came to the dish and lasered a 2-run single to put the Sooners ahead 7-5.
Despite dropping the first game of the series, the Sooners roared back and earned a phenomenal series win to start Big 12 Conference play. Meanwhile, Kirk Saarloos and TCU had an opportunity to grab a road series win but were unable to get the job done in Norman. Now 10-9 (1-2 Big 12), the Frogs will travel home for a five-game homestand beginning on Tuesday against the 16-4 Abilene Christian Wildcats. ACU is coming off a series victory against UT Arlington and has won 6 of its last 7 games.
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