Freshmen Help TCU Earn Split In 5-3 Win Over Ole Miss
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FORT WORTH, Texas – Michael Resnick hit a two-run double in the fifth and Preston Morrison retired all 10 batters he faced to help No. 10 TCU earn the series split with a 5-3 win over No. 22 Ole Miss Sunday afternoon.
Morrison (1-0) earned the win in relief, tallying a pair of strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings of work. The freshman retired all 10 batters he faced in the game. Stefan Crichton got the start for the Horned Frogs, allowing three runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out two in the no-decision. In his first appearance on the mound since 2010, Kaleb Merk pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to record the save.
The fifth inning proved to be the most eventful one of the afternoon as the Rebels picked up three two-out runs to tie the game. Zach Kirksey doubled to lead off the inning and eventually scored the Rebels first run of the game on a two-out single from Alex Yarbrough. Back-to-back singles from Matt Snyder and Tanner Mathis tied the game at three. With runners on the corners, Morrison battled Will Allen through a nine-pitch at-bat, eventually striking him out looking to end the inning.
In the bottom of the frame, Brett Johnson worked a four-pitch walk with two outs. Head’s up base running on two balls in the dirt had Johnson standing at third. Davy Wright earned a walk to bring up Resnick with two on and two out. The freshman came through with his first career hit, driving a double off the wall in right center to give the Frogs a 5-3 lead.
From there, the bullpens dominated. Morrison and Merck combined to set down the final 13 Ole Miss batters and the Rebels’ Mike Mayers retired the last 10 Horned Frog batters to end the game.
TCU had built a 3-0 lead with a pair of runs in the first inning and a single run in the fourth before the Rebels tied the game in the fifth.
In the first inning, Brance Rivera led off with a base hit to right center. Back-to-back bunt singles from Kyle Von Tungeln and Jason Coats had the bases loaded with nobody out. Zac Jordan grounded to third to drive in the first run of the game and an errant throw to first allowed the second run to score, giving TCU a 2-0 lead.
The Frogs had chances in the second and third inning to extend their lead, but couldn’t
come up with the hit as they stranded four runners, three in scoring position.
TCU finally pushed across its third run of the game in the fourth inning. Rivera doubled with two outs and scored easily on a triple off the bat of Von Tungeln to give the Frogs a 3-0 lead.
The victory moves the Frogs to 1-1 on the young season. They will hit the road for four games this week beginning with a Tuesday afternoon contest at Baylor. Game time in Waco is set for 4:05 p.m.
