TCU Wins At Oklahoma
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NORMAN, Okla. – The 20th-ranked TCU Horned Frogs made a first-inning unearned run stand up in a 1-0 victory over No. 24 Oklahoma Tuesday night. Brandon Finnegan didn’t allow a hit until the eighth inning.
Brandon Finnegan (3-3) was outstanding through seven innings. He allowed just one hit and that came in the top of the eighth inning. Along the way he fanned seven and hit one. With a runner on first and nobody out in the third inning, Finnegan retired 13 straight batters before a one-out error in the seventh put a runner on second.
The duo of Justin Scharf and Kevin Allen closed out the game, pitching the final two innings. For Allen, he picks up his fifth save of the season, striking out the lone batter he faced to end the game.
In the final two innings, the Sooners put the pressure on, but Scharf and Allen made the pitches and the defense was rock solid behind them to keep Oklahoma off the scoreboard.
A lead-off error and a bunt single in the eighth inning prompted the Frogs to go to the bullpen. Scharf came on and got a big first out at third base on a sacrifice attempt. After he fanned Tanner Toal for the second out, he got Eric Ross to fly out to Coats in left field to end the inning.
In the ninth inning, Scharf plunked Cody Reine to lead off the inning, the gave up a single to Max White. Trying to go first-to-third on the play, Reine was thrown out at third on a great relay from Brance Rivera in right to Keaton Jones and on to Jantzen Witte at third for the first out of the inning. Scharf knocked down a hot smash up the middle, recovered and threw out the lead runner at second for out No. 2. An infield single kept the inning alive, but Allen struck out Evan Mistich looking on a 3-2 pitch to end the game.
TCU scored the only run it would need in the first inning as it took advantage of a Sooner miscue. Josh Elander battled to a 3-2 count before hitting a high fly ball to right field. The Sooner outfield battled the sun, but dropped the ball, allowing Elander to race into second with one out. Jason Coats came through with a line drive double just over the outstretched glove of the right fielder to put the Frogs on top.
Finnegan used his defense in the middle innings as Kyle Von Tungeln raced down a pair of balls in each of the gaps, while Rivera made a running catch on a ball ticketed for the right center gap off the bat of Jack Mayfield to lead off the fifth inning.
Kevin Cron turned in a pair of nice defensive plays in the seventh inning, preserving the no-hitter. He reached over the fence on the first base side to snag a foul ball, then fielded a tricky hop down the line and tagged out the runner to end the inning.
The Frogs improve to 33-16 on the season. TCU will close out the regular season schedule this weekend when it hosts San Diego State for a key three game series with the conference title on the line. Two wins guarantees the Frogs a share of the tile, while a sweep will give them the title outright. Friday’s series opener is set for 6:30 p.m. at Lupton Stadium.
