April 30, 2009
Final Stats | Game One Highlights
FORT WORTH, Texas - The No. 15 TCU Horned Frogs (28-13, 9-4) battled to an 8-5 victory over BYU (24-18, 11-7) Thursday night at Lupton Stadium to run its April home record to 8-0. The Frogs were led offensively by
Corey Steglich, who tied a career-high with four RBI.
Matt Carpenter and
Matt Vern also homered for the Frogs.
BYU took advantage of five walks in the first three innings to take a 2-0 lead. In the second, the Cougars drew three walks and saw two wild pitches, but only one run scored on a Michael Bowen sacrifice fly. Taylor Cragin did a good job working out of the inherited jam, retiring the only two batters he faced.
Again in the third, the Cougars drew two walks and scored just one run. Brandon Relf delivered the RBI sacrifice fly to make it a 2-0 game.
Control issues by Cougar starter Jeremy Toole (5-4) in the bottom of the third enabled the Frogs to tie the game. Matt Curry drew a lead-off walk and moved to second on an Aaron Schultz sacrifice bunt. A wild pitch moved to Curry to third and he scored on a Steglich base hit.
With two on, Carpenter hit a weak ground ball that didn't even make it back to the pitcher's mound. Both runners were on the move and head's up base running from Steglich got the game tied as he slid in just ahead of the tag.
The Frogs took their first lead of the game in the fourth, scoring three runs on two hits. It was another lead-off walk, this time to Vern that got the Frogs rolling. Curry drove in the go-ahead run with a single through the right side and Steglich delivered a two-out, two-run double to right center to make it a 5-2 contest.
BYU got two of the runs back in the top of the fifth, scoring both runs on a two-out double by Bowen to pull within one, 5-4.
TCU answered with a two-spot of its own in the bottom of the frame. Carpenter led off the inning with his seventh home run of the season and Vern connected on a one-out pitch for his 10th long ball of the campaign for a 7-4 lead.
Another two-out run for the Cougars in the sixth cut the deficit to 7-5. Sean McNaughton singled with one out and moved to second on an error. Stetson Banks single through the right side to drive in the run. Bryan Holaday quelled any rally that might have started as he gunned out Banks trying to steal second to end the inning.
In the eighth, the Frogs picked up an insurance run, giving them an 8-5 lead. Jason Coats led off the frame with a triple and pinch-runner Brance Rivera scored on a perfectly executed safety squeeze by Steglich.
On for his fourth inning of work, Paul Gerrish struck out the side in the ninth to lock up his first save of the season. He allowed just one unearned run on three hits in those four innings with one walk and six strikeouts.
Cragin (5-0) got the win in relief as he threw 3 2/3 innings, surrendering three runs on three hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Sean Hoelscher started and gave up one run on three walks with one strike out in 1 1/3 innings.
Game two of the series is slated for Friday night at Lupton Stadium. First pitch is 6:30 p.m.
