TCU Wins Series At West Virginia
{fshare id=3816}
CHARLESTON, W. Va.- After falling behind 4-1, the TCU Horned Frogs exploded for eight unanswered runs en route to a 16-6 victory over West Virginia. The victory gives TCU the series win.
Alex Young (6-4) was masterful in relief of Andrew Mitchell who lasted just 1/3 of an inning. The freshman came on in the first with the Frogs trailing 4-1. He tossed 6 2/3 innings, allowing a run on three hits. He walked one and struck out five. Justin Scharf pitched a scoreless eighth and Travis Evans allowed a run on two hits in his lone inning of work.
TCU took advantage of a lead-off single from Cody Jones to take an early 1-0 lead. Jones was standing at third with two outs when Paul Hendrix doubled to right center to put the Frogs on top.
West Virginia wasted no time answering as it scored four times on five hits in the first to take a 4-1 lead. Mitchell retired the first batter of the inning, but the next six batters reached forcing the Frogs to go to the bullpen. Ryan Tuntland tied the game and a Ryan McBroom two-run double put the Mountaineers on top. Young calmed the tide and kept the deficit at three.
The Frogs fought back in the third and got the game knotted at four. Kyle Bacak led off the inning with a double to left. After a Cody Jones sacrifice, Boomer White hit a double to right center, cutting the WVU lead to two. With two outs, Hendrix lined
his fourth home run of the season over the left center field fence to tie the game.
TCU regained its lead in the top of the fifth as it scored a pair of two-out runs to take a 6-4 lead. Cody Jones led off the inning with a double and was standing on third with two outs. After falling behind 2-0 to Hendrix, the Mountaineers elected to intentionally walk him to get to Derek Odell. Hendrix wasted no time stealing second and scored easily on a double off the bat of Odell to break the tie.
Three more runs crossed the plate in the top of the sixth as the Frogs stretched their lead to five, 9-4. Once again Bacak led off the inning with a double. Following a Cody Jones base hit, White doubled to drive in the run. Two outs later, the Frogs had the bases loaded and Kevin Cron came through with a two-run single.
West Virginia picked up a run in the bottom of the sixth to break a string of eight unanswered by TCU, but the Mountaineer bullpen was unable to keep the Frogs in check.
TCU scored twice in the seventh to open up a six-run advantage, 11-5. Bacak led off the inning with his third hit of the day and moved to second on a walk to Cody Jones. With two outs, Jantzen Witte hit a chopper to third. The throw to first was wild and both runners scored.
Cron hit a two-run home run in the eighth to make it a 13-5 game. In the ninth Odell, Keaton Jones and Bacak provided RBI singles to account for TCU’s final tally of 16 runs.
TCU improves to 25-25 overall and 10-11 in Big 12 play. The Frogs return to home for their final four home games of the regular season beginning with UT Arlington Tuesday night at 6:30.
