TCU Advances To Super Regional
{fshare id=2665}
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – For the third time in the last four years the TCU Horned Frogs have advanced to the NCAA Super Regional round. The Frogs scored seven runs in the middle innings to hand Ole Miss a 7-4 loss Monday night in the NCAA College Station Regional Championship game.
Earning all-tournament team for the Horned Frogs were: Josh Elander, Kevin Cron, Derek Odell, Kyle Von Tungeln, Jerrick Suiter, Stefan Crichton and Justin Scharf. Scharf was named the Tournament MVP.
Clutch performances from Preston Morrison and Scharf (5-3) held the Rebels to four runs on 11 hits, walked just two and struck out three. Morrison gave up three runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings, while Scharf was tagged for a run on four hits in a career-high 4 2/3 innings of work.
Tanner Mathis got the Rebel offense going early as he doubled to open the game. Two ground balls later, the Rebels had a 1-0 lead as Mathis scored on a ground out by Matt Snyder.
The Rebels had another threat brewing in the second inning as the first two batters singled. A sacrifice bunt had the pair standing in scoring position. Morrison and Jantzen Witte executed a perfect pick-off move at third to get the second out of the inning, then Morrison fanned Jake Overbey to end the inning.
After being held down the first time through the order, the Horned Frog bats came to life in the fourth. Josh Elander unleashed on an offering from Bobby Wahl, driving the ball over the left center field fence to tie the game at one. One batter later Jantzen Witte put the Frogs on top as
he crushed his third home run of the season for a 2-1 lead.
The Rebels bounced back in the top of the fifth to regain their one-run lead with a pair of runs. A pair of infield singles around a strikeout had the Rebels in business. Alex Yarbrough lined a single up the middle to tie the game and Zach Kirksey hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to make it a 3-2 contest.
TCU responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to take a lead it would never relinquish. Josh Gonzales got things going with a lead-off walk. After stealing second, he moved to third on base hit by Brance Rivera. Keaton Jones did his job as he hit a grounder to drive in the tying run. Kyle Von Tungeln followed with a base hit up the middle to drive in Rivera with the go-ahead run.
The Frogs tacked on a run in the sixth as they took advantage of a hit batter to open the inning. A balk moved Odell to second and he scored easily on a Rivera double to make it a 5-3 contest.
An error on fly ball in left field proved costly for the Rebels as it led to a pair of runs, stretching the lead to four, 7-3. Witte and Odell provided the run-scoring singles for the Frogs.
Ole Miss didn’t go quietly in the ninth as the first two batters reached to open the inning. Scharf got a bouncer to the plate for the first out to put runners on the corners with one out. Mathis singled to right to drive in the run, but Scharf got Yarbrough to bounce into the game-ending double play to lock up the 7-4 win.
TCU (40-20) advances to the Super Regional round where it will face UCLA. Game time at Jackie Robinson field is set for Friday night at 8 p.m. (CST).
