May 12, 2008
Final Stats
FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU Horned Frogs used a six-run sixth inning to erase an early 5-0 deficit to rally for the sweep of UT-Pan American on Monday morning at Lupton Stadium. The 8-5 victory gave the Frogs their seventh straight win.
Trent Appleby threw five innings of relief for the Frogs and three different Frogs tallied two hits in the game. Ben Carruthers' double in the sixth gave the Frogs a lead they would never relinquish.
The Broncs took advantage of a shaky start by the Frogs, turning three straight walks into a 2-0 lead. After Roly Gonzalez was erased by Bryan Holaday on an attempted steal and a fly ball out, Jordan Vest delivered a two-out double that cleared the bases.
UT-Pan American added to its lead in the third inning as they again took advantage of a lead-off walk. A double by Billy Donaho put the Broncs up 3-0 and he moved to third on the throw home with nobody out. Appleby came on in relief and got out of the jam without any more runs crossing the plate.
Broncs starter Cody Cisper kept the Frogs in check for the first half of the game. He worked around a two-out single from Steve Ellington in the second and a lead-off double by Bryan Kervin in the fourth to keep it a 3-0 lead.
An error proved costly in the top of the sixth inning as the Broncs tacked on two unearned runs to open up a 5-0 advantage. With two on and one out, the Frogs looked like they had picked off Andrew Perez, but a dropped ball allowed him to stand safely at second base. After a two-out intentional walk to Gonzalez, Bonham Hough dumped in a two-run single to right to plate two runs.
The Frogs responded in a big way in the bottom of the frame as the first eight men reached safely in the inning. Clint Arnold got things rolling with a line drive single to left field. After a walk to Matt Carpenter, Chris Ellington reached on an infield single to load the bases. Steve Ellington worked a bases loaded walk to drive in the first run of the game. Holaday followed with a run-scoring single. Hunt Woodruff drew the second bases loaded walk of the inning and Matt Vern took a pitch off the shoulder to make it a 5-4 game. A Carruthers double sent in two runs as the Frogs came all the way back to take a 6-5 lead.
TCU tacked on another run in the bottom of the seventh to extend its lead to two, 7-5. Steve Ellington singled and Holaday executed a perfect hit-and-run to put runners on the corners. Woodruff drove the ball to right field for a sacrifice fly and his second RBI of the game.
Another insurance run crossed the plate for the Frogs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Carruthers was hit by the pitch to lead off the inning. After a stolen base, Arnold singled to move Carruthers to third. He promptly stole second and Carpenter dropped a sacrifice bunt down the first base line, scoring Carruthers easily from third.
Garrison went two innings, allowing three runs on three hits. He walked four and didn't register a strikeout in the no-decision. Appleby (5-1) allowed just two unearned runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out one.
Taylor Cragin came on in the eighth inning and finished the game, picking up his second save of the season. He didn't surrender any runs and allowed just two hits while striking out two.
The Frogs (36-16) will head to Albuquerque, N.M. to square off against New Mexico in a show-down for the regular season title. Both teams enter the weekend with identical 16-5 marks in Mountain West Conference play. TCU will be aiming for its third straight regular season crown. First pitch for Thursday's series opener is set for 2 p.m. (CST) at Isotopes Park.
