TCU Drops Another Series and One Late Inning Changed Everything

It was a wet and very frustrating two days for the Horned Frogs, as they only played on Friday and a doubleheader on Saturday due to the weather. This might be the most head-scratching series of the season so far.

The most disappointing aspect of this whole weekend is that the Frogs arguably had their best pitching outings from all their starters this weekend, which, starting pitching has been an area of concern for the Frogs all season long. However, this weekend it was the best part of the series. However, the hitting could not follow through. They were shut out for most of the weekend, besides Game 2.

The Frogs had a tough weekend at home. Let’s take a look at what happened.

How the Series Kicked Off in Game 1

TCU dropped Game 1 in a very painful fashion, and it was not the only tough loss of the weekend. The Frogs fell 4–3 to Arizona on Friday night as the Wildcats broke a 3–3 tie in the ninth inning. This loss felt eerily similar to Sunday night’s defeat.

TCU made a change at Friday night starter, turning to Trever Baumler, who delivered a solid outing—going four innings, striking out three, and allowing three runs. Mason Brassfield, the typical Friday starter, followed with his best performance of the season, tossing five innings with nine strikeouts, four hits allowed, and just one earned run, which came in the ninth. The duo combined for 12 strikeouts and were the only pitchers used by the Frogs.

Despite the strong showing on the mound, TCU could not hold off Arizona late. A leadoff walk, Brassfield’s only walk of the game, proved to be costly. The batter eventually came around to score the game-winning run.

Offensively, TCU had plenty of chances but failed to capitalize, stranding multiple runners, including a two-on opportunity in the ninth. The Frogs tied the game in the seventh with two-out hits from Nolan Traeger and Kyuss Gargett, but could not complete the comeback.

Game 1 turned into a pitching duel, with both teams combining for 27 strikeouts. In my opinion, this loss set the tone for the rest of the weekend.

How The Frogs Got the Win in Game 2

Things were looking up for the Frogs in Game 2 as they captured a strong outing from TCU starter Lance Davis, which helped lead them to a 5–0 win. The Frogs responded to Game 1 with hot bats and strong pitching. Lance Davis continues to get better and better as the year goes on. He tossed seven scoreless innings, only allowing four hits as he struck out seven batters. He was on fire, and Arizona really had no answers. They were able to get batters on base, but he remained calm and worked out of all trouble.

The Horned Frog bats provided a lot of support in this game thanks to the deep ball. Brady Dallimore got the scoring going early in the game in the second inning with a solo shot to right field. This would be it for a while until Nolan Traeger would open the scoring back up with a two-run homer to right field, making the score 3–0. This was not it for TCU, as Chase Brunson followed it up with a two-run moonshot to left field, nearly making it into the parking lot, extending the lead to 5–0. This was the only lead TCU would not give up all weekend.

Nate Stern was able to come in and do what Nate Stern does: close out games. He finished the last two innings, allowing only one baserunner while striking out two, securing a shutout and evening the series. This was the Horned Frogs’ third shutout of the season.

How Game 3 Collapsed in Late Innings

Things began in a promising fashion for the Frogs in Game 3, but ended in a disappointing way. Jack Arthur started in left field in this game and got the Frogs going early in the first inning with a solo shot to right field. Things were looking up as the Frogs continued to score in the second inning, as Rob Liddington hit a sac fly to deep center, which was enough to score Noah Franco from third, bringing the game to 2–0. This would be all the scoring the Frogs would do in this game, which was looking to be enough as Zack James had another stellar performance, his third in a row. He went seven innings, striking out three batters, allowing only five hits, and no runs. He looked very sharp in his outing and kept the Arizona batters off balance. He threw 89 pitches and probably should have gone another inning in my opinion, but I’m not the coach.

Instead, the Frogs turned to Walter Quinn, who was off. He allowed a hit and a walk, which scored two runs, erasing the lead Zack James had earned. Quinn had a very short outing, forcing the Frogs to turn to Noah Franco, who gave up a hit, only lasting three pitches in the eighth. The Frogs would make a third pitching change of the inning, going to Tanner Sagouspe, who slowed the bleeding as he was able to get out of the inning. He continued into the ninth and looked solid, but a bad no-swing call from the first base umpire would end up costing the Frogs as the Wildcats got a hit to go ahead.

The Wildcats then turned to their closer Garrett Hicks, who closed out the game in similar fashion to Friday night. Tough ending, as this result was arguably avoidable, but the Frogs will move on—there’s plenty of season left to bounce back.

How This Series Loss Impacts the Rest of the Season

This series loss hurts, especially after the Horned Frogs also lost their weekday game against Abilene Christian. This will be a weekend the Horned Frogs will want to forget about and really must forget about. There is plenty of season left, but the Frogs must close out games and not shoot themselves in the foot. The Horned Frogs currently sit 21–14 overall and 8–7 in conference play. TCU has five series left and still has a chance to make it to the top again, especially with their starting pitching continuing to improve, but they must eliminate self-inflicted errors and mistakes. The Frogs are in a good position, but they cannot let this series loss impact the rest of the season. They must brush this one off and move on.

What's Next?

This is the king of series that lingers, not because TCU was outmatched, but because it felt within reach until it wasn't. The margin for error in Big 12 play is thin, and the Horned Frogs are learning that in real time. The good news? There's still time to respond, but the urgency just went up. What did you see in this series loss, and where does TCU go from here? Join the conversation now on the KillerFrogs Fan Forum