TCU Falters Against Pepperdine
FORT WORTH – Pepperdine withstood a late rally from TCU to force a decisive game three with a 3-2 victory Sunday night in the NCAA Fort Worth Super Regional. Game time Monday has been changed to 3 p.m. and it will air live on ESPN2.
TCU entered the eighth inning in a 3-0 hole. The Waves went to the bullpen and called on Chandler Blanchard to start the eighth. Boomer White worked a lead-off walk. With one out, the Waves defense collapsed as they committed two errors on a routine ground ball off the bat of Garrett Crain. White scored on the miscue and Crain moved to third.
Jerrick Suiter made it a one-run game with a base hit to left and stole second with two outs. Keaton Jones dumped a single into center field and Suiter was on the move. A strike from center fielder Aaron Brown to the plate cut down Suiter trying to tie the game.
TCU got no closer as Waves closer Eric Karch set the side down in order in the ninth to force the decisive third game.
The Horned Frogs had the game’s first opportunity to push across a run in the
second. Dylan Fitzgerald opened the inning with a double and was on third after an errant throw on a Keaton Jones sacrifice attempt. Brown, who was also the Waves starting pitcher, walked Cody Jones with one out to load the bases. TCU couldn’t find the hit as Brown fanned the next two batters to end the inning.
Pepperdine had the lead-off batter on in three of the first five innings and finally pushed across a run in the fifth. Hutton Moyer led off the frame with a base hit and moved to second on a Jack Ross sacrifice. With two outs, a Brandon Caruso base hit put the Waves in front, 1-0.
Two more runs crossed the plate in the seventh as Pepperdine opened up a three-run advantage. Moyer got things going again as he was hit by a pitch with one out. Ross followed with a base hit and both runners were in scoring position after an error in the outfield. Manny Jefferson hit a sacrifice fly to bring in the second run and Caruso doubled home Ross for a 3-0 lead.
Preston Morrison (9-4) took the loss after allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits in 6 2/3 innings of work. He walked two and fanned six. Alex Young pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up a walk and a base hit.
The loss snaps TCU’s 10-game winning streak. The Frogs fall to 46-16 overall. TCU and Pepperdine will play a winner-take-all game three Monday afternoon at 3 p.m. on ESPN2. Tyler Alexander will get the start for the Horned Frogs and face Pepperdine’s Jackson McClelland.
