TCU Baseball: Seahawks Overpower Frogs In Weekend Opener

It was a tough night at Lupton Stadium on Friday night. The TCU Horned Frogs (21-13) lost to the University of North Carolina Seahawks 14-6.

Starting pitcher Ryan Vanderhei once again had a short night, lasting only 4.1 innings. TCU fell behind early, then took the lead in the second, only to fall behind in the fourth. The Frogs never got the lead back and gave up four runs in the 5th and another seven in the 8th.

Vanderhei secured two quick ground outs to start the game. Then on the ninth pitch of the game, UNCW 1B Tanner Thach sent one sailing over the centerfield wall to put the Seahawks on the board first. UNCW would score another run in the top of the second to have a 2-0 early lead.

The bottom of the second was a grab bag of a lot of craziness. It went like this – walk, single, double steal, an error, a hit by pitch, a sacrifice fly, a strike out, another steal, a wild pitch, and a walk. Through all of that, TCU was able to take the lead as three runs scored that inning.

TCU would add another in the third inning thanks to an Anthony Silva flyout that allowed Cole Fontanelle to score from third base.

Then came the fifth inning, and once again, Vanderhei found himself in a hole. After a hit by pitch, single, and a walk, he had bases loaded and no outs. UNCW left fielder Dillon Lifrieri would ground out, sending the runner at third home. That would do it for Vanderhei, whom Sam Stoutenborough then replaced. Two more runs would score before the inning was done, giving UNCW a 6-4 lead. TCU would never regain the lead.

The score remained at 6-4 until the top of the 8th when the wheels came off. Stoutenborough was pulled after UNCW scored three two-out runs. River Ridings took to the mound, but the damage was done. UNCW would score seven runs in the inning. TCU would score two in the bottom of the 8th. UNCW would score another in the 9th.

In a game that didn’t seem to have too many highlights for the Frogs, two did stand out. Fontanelle extended his on-base streak to 27 straight games. He has proven a welcome addition in the lineup and on the field. And the Frogs stole six bases in the game, extending their streak to 10 straight games with multiple steals in the game.

Next up: Game Two of the series is on Saturday at 4 pm. Kole Klecker takes the mound for the Frogs. It can be seen on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

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