March 31, 2002
Box Score
FORT WORTH, Texas - TCU fell behind to Charlotte 5-0 after four innings and a late rally fell just short as the Horned Frogs' had their six-game winning streak snapped by the 49ers 5-4 Sunday afternoon at TCU Diamond. With the loss, the Frogs fell out of a tie for first place in Conference USA and dropped back to .500 overall for the season.
Charlotte (16-11, 6-3 C-USA) posted three runs in the first inning and two more in the fourth to take the early 5-0 advantage. All five runs came off TCU starter Patrick Newburn (Grapevine, Texas/Grapevine/Northeast Texas C.C.), as the junior threw 83 pitches in 3.2 innings to pick up his first loss of the season.
The Horned Frog bullpen made sure the deficit didn't get any worse as five TCU relievers combined to allow no runs and just four hits over the final 5.1 innings.
But, Charlotte starter John Maine, a preseason all-America selection, was just as impressive. The junior scattered six hits and allowed just one run, throwing an amazing 147 pitches over 7.2 innings. The one run the Frogs tallied off Maine came in the eighth inning when third baseman Mike Settle (Fort Worth, Texas/Country Day) lifted a sacrifice fly into center field, scoring Terry Trofholz (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior/Creighton) and cutting the deficit to 5-1.
In the ninth, TCU (15-15, 6-3 C-USA) made it interesting, plating three runs on three hits to bring the Frogs within a run at 5-4 with a runner on and first baseman Walter Olmstead (San Antonio, Texas/MacArthur) at the plate. Olmstead appeared to end the game in the Frogs' favor when he blasted a 3-2 pitch into the street well beyond TCU Diamond's right field wall, but just foul. A pitch later, Charlotte reliever Jacob Chaney forced Olmstead into a long flyout to center field, ending the Horned Frog threat.
Despite the loss, TCU still took two-of-three games in the C-USA series and are tied for second place in the league. The Frogs will look to return to their winning ways when they welcome nationally ranked Baylor to TCU Diamond Tuesday afternoon at 2:35 p.m.
GAME NOTES
The winner of Sunday's Houston/Southern Miss game will take sole possesion of first place in C-USA while the loser will drop into a second-place tie with TCU, Charlotte, Louisville and South Florida ... TCU will go for a season sweep of Baylor on Tuesday, having taken a 6-5 decision from the Bears Feb. 9 in Houston and knocking off the No. 10 Bears last Tuesday in Waco ... despite going 0-for-4 Sunday afternoon, Olmstead still went 7-for-13 for the weekend with 12 RBI and two home runs.
