TCU Baseball: University of San Diego Series Recap

After splitting the first two games of the weekend against the University of San Diego, No. 10 TCU was victorious in the rubber game on Sunday.

Cam Brown, who has established himself as the Sunday starter, had a solid day on the bump. Going 4.1 innings, Brown gave up 3 hits, 1 run, and 2 walks. Efficient on the hill, Brown racked up 5 punchouts against Toreros batters.

A three-up-three-down first inning saw Brown get out to a great start, but he quickly worked himself into a second-inning jam. A leadoff double by Kevin Sim and a bunt single by James Arakawa set up runners on the corners with no outs.

Despite failing to register a hit, Ian Blazier got the job done as an RBI groundout saw the Toreros jump out to an early 1-0 lead. Brown escaped, limiting the damage in the second inning, but would soon be relieved by Sam Stoutenborough after a laborious 81 pitches.

Coming off a solid performance against UT Arlington on Tuesday, where he struck out 5 batters in 3.1 innings, Stoutenborough’s good form continued against the Toreros. With the Frogs trailing in the top of the sixth, San Diego extended its lead as a result of defensive miscues by TCU. A two-out throwing error from Brayden Taylor further saw Sim reach base. Followed by a wild pitch, Sim advanced to second and later scored after an RBI double by Arakawa.

An unearned run against the graduate transfer from UC Berkeley, Stoutenborough finished the day giving up 1 run (unearned) on 1 hit in 1.2 innings of work.

With the Toreros extending their lead to 2-0 in the sixth, the Frogs answered back in the bottom half of the inning. After a leadoff single by Tre Richardson got things started, Taylor launched a two-run blast to right field, tying the game at 2-2. The Frogs then took a 3-2 lead with a solo shot from Austin Davis that found the TCU bullpen in left field.

👋 Right Field!@braydentaylor02 | #FrogballUSA | #GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/U3JFcWH4YZ
— TCU Baseball (@TCU_Baseball) March 12, 2023

Following a two-out walk to Taylor in the seventh, San Diego relieved Ivran Romero for Drake Frize. Catcher Kurtis Byrne didn’t wait around as he jumped on Frize’s first pitch of the ballgame and hammered it to left center for a two-run homer.

NO DOUBTER @KurtisByrne 💣#FrogballUSA | #GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/AsXtB3jede
— TCU Baseball (@TCU_Baseball) March 12, 2023

San Diego made noise in the ninth with a two-run single by Justin Decriscio, but Louis Rodriguez came in and secured the victory with his second save of the season. Sunday’s 5-4 victory, awarded to Stoutenborough, saw the Horned Frogs improve to 9-6 on the season.

Losing 8-7 to UT Arlington on Tuesday and answering with a 14-2 loss to San Diego on Friday night, the Frogs rebounded and got a crucial series win. While TCU won the series, it didn’t come without its issues. The Frogs have repeatedly been exposed for their inconsistency in both pitching and hitting–an incredibly streaky team, the Frogs are susceptible to team-wide slumps. Furthermore, self-inflicted mistakes including errors and defensive miscues have been a detriment to the Frogs this season.

While pitching has been inconsistent, TCU’s newcomers continue to impress. In Saturday’s 3-1 victory, freshman Kole Klecker pitched an absolute gem. In 7 innings, the right-hander gave up 2 hits, 1 run, and 1 walk. Striking out only two batters, Klecker forced weak contact throughout the game.

Additionally, Rodriguez, the Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week, has continued his tremendous start to his collegiate career. Securing two saves this weekend, the freshman has pitched 11.2 innings over five appearances, striking out 14 and giving up only 1 run.

Looking ahead the Frogs will travel south to San Marcos to take on Texas State on Tuesday, Mar. 14. The Bobcats currently sit at 10-5 and are coming off a series sweep against North Dakota State where they exploded for 32 runs. TCU will have to go through the Bobcats before gearing up for Big 12 conference play against the Oklahoma Sooners. The Frogs have plenty to take care of before the long-awaited Big 12 season kicks off, but this weekend’s series victory against San Diego was one-step in the right direction.

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