TCU Baseball Rallies To Beat OK State
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FORT WORTH, Texas – A ninth-inning error tied the game and Davy Wright hit a game-winning double in the 10th to give the TCU Horned Frogs a thrilling 6-5 victory over Oklahoma State Sunday afternoon. The win clinches TCU’s first series victory of the season.
The Cowboys were clinging to a 5-4 lead heading into the ninth inning. Wright worked a lead-off walk and moved to second on a Keaton Jones sacrifice. Chase Stevens got a strikeout for out No. 2 and looked to have gotten Jason Coats out to end the game on a high pop up on the infield. Oklahoma State catcher Jared Womack couldn’t handle the high pop fly and Wright raced home with the tying run.
Oklahoma State put the pressure on in the top of the 10th as it had two on with only one out. Kaleb Merck (1-0) got Hunter Bailey to line out, but unleashed a wild pitch to move both runners up 90 feet. Merck made the pitches he needed to, getting Jarrett Higgins to fly out to end the inning.
Jerrick Suiter’s one-out single in the bottom of the 10th gave the Frogs life and Wright completed the comeback, lining a double off the left field wall to give the Frogs a 6-5 victory.
The Pokes got on the board first, scoring a run on three hits. The damage could have been worse if not for a perfect relay throw from Zac Jordan in right to Derek Odell and on to Josh Elander at home to tag Higgins for
the first out of the game. Zach Fish drove in the Cowboys only run of the inning with a one-out double.
TCU rallied back with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the first. Kyle Von Tungeln was hit by a pitch to open the inning and stole second with one out. After Elander walked, Cowboy starter Randy McCurry hit Von Tungeln on a pick-off attempt and the ball ricocheted into right field, allowing Von Tungeln to score the tying run. Elander moved to third on the error and scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball.
The lead grew to 3-1 in the second as the Frogs picked up a two-out run. Suiter led off the inning with a single and scored on a two-out base hit up the middle from Jones.
A rocky top of the fourth saw the Cowboys score three runs on four hits and two costly errors. Back-to-back hits from Robbie Rea and Wes Jones tied the game and a double by Womack gave Oklahoma State a 4-3 lead.
In the fifth inning, the Frogs battled back to tie the game at four. Braden Mattson worked a walk and scored on a two-out single from Jordan.
The tie wouldn’t last as Womack hit a long home run to right field in the top of the sixth inning to restore the Cowboys’ lead, 5-4.
Preston Morrison and Kevin Allen kept the game close, shutting out the Pokes in the next three innings, setting up TCU’s late-inning rally.
Trey Teakell got the start for the Frogs, allowing four runs (two earned) on seven hits in three innings of work. He walked one and struck out one. Morrison twirled 4 2/3 innings, giving up a run on five hits with one strikeout. Allen fanned three and gave up one hit in 1 2/3 innings of work. Merck pitched 2/3 of an inning to earn the win.
TCU improves to 4-6 on the season. The Frogs will continue their eight-game homestand Tuesday night when they play host to nationally-ranked Baylor. First pitch against the Bears is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Lupton Stadium.
