TCU Edges Out West Virginia in Game Two to Take Series

The West Virginia Mountaineers dropped game two and the series to the No. 5 TCU Horned Frogs 5-3 Saturday afternoon.

West Virginia starting pitcher Jake Carr only gave up two hits and struck out three through three innings, but the Mountaineers were unable to keep the Horned Frogs off the board in the fourth when Brayden Taylor led off the inning with a single into right field - Hunter Wolfe took his place at first on a fielder’s choice. Phillip Sikes and Gray Rogers loaded the bases with singles before Luke Boyers drew a walk for the first run.

TCU added two more runs in the fifth after consecutive singles from Elijah Nunez and Zach Humphreys to begin the inning, and Brayden Taylor worked a walk to load the bases. That ended the day for Carr as head coach Randy Mazy called in Skylar Gonzalez from the bullpen. He walked in the game’s second run, and Wolfe extended the lead to three with an RBI fielder’s choice. Mazey again called out to the bullpen for Adam Tulloch, who got out of the inning, retiring the side.

The Horned Frogs appeared to be running away with the game in the sixth after scoring on an errant throw to second on a steal taking a 4-0 lead.

However, West Virginia started to chip away at the lead in the bottom of the inning after Paul Mcintosh drew a leadoff walk, took second on a wild pitch, and advance to third on an infield groundball before Alec Burns hit a sacrifice RBI to give the Mountaineers their first run of the game.

In the bottom of the seventh, Austin Davis hit a one-out single, Braden Barry was hit by a pitch, and Paul McIntosh delivered a hart hit groundball that first baseman Gene Wood could not handle, scoring Davis to get back within two, 4-2.

TCU got a run back in the eighth after Daniel Ouderkirk walked the bases loaded, freshman Carlson Reed took the mound, and the Horned Frogs tacked on another run on a passed ball.

Burns responded in the bottom of the inning with a leadoff home run to close the gap back to two, and the Mountaineers put two more runners on the base pads but came up empty-handed. Then in the bottom of the ninth went 1-2-3 as the TCU Horned Frogs take game two 5-3.

West Virginia looks to avoid the series sweep Sunday, with the first pitch set for 1:00 pm EST.

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