May 21, 2009

Final Stats

FORT WORTH, Texas - The No. 1-seed TCU Horned Frogs stayed alive for another day in the Conoco Mountain West Conference Tournament on Thursday.

TCU got a clutch starting performance from freshman pitcher Kyle Winkler and first baseman Matt Vern did it all offensively to eliminate No. 3-seed BYU 9-2 at Lupton Field. The Frogs advance to meet the loser of tonight's San Diego State-Utah winner's bracket game at 3 p.m. Friday.

Winkler (6-0) tossed his first career complete game and denied the Cougars the chance to stay alive after winning earlier in the day against No. 2 New Mexico. Winkler also saved the Frogs bullpen and had six strikeouts and allowed 11 hits and didn't give up a walk.

"He's probably been our most consistent starting pitcher in the last three or four weeks," TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle said. "The game begins and ends with starting pitching. There is no other secret formula."

It began and ended with Winkler and while he was putting up zeroes, his offense came to the resue late in the game with plenty of cushion. TCU (36-15) pounded out 10 hits in the game and scored seven runs combined in its final three at-bats.

"Being a freshman and I know coach expects a lot of me and I expect a lot out of myself," Winkler said. "I didn't want to be too high or too low for the game."

The Frogs (ranked No. 10 in the nation) built off a 2-0 lead with two runs apiece in the sixth and seventh innings. In the seventh, first baseman Matt Vern started a two-out rally with a double and stole third base. Then, Vern surprised the Cougars by stealing home off left-hander Jared Miller to give TCU a 5-0 lead. Catcher Bryan Holaday made it 6-0 with an RBI single to center after Chris Ellington walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch.

Vern had the all-around performance of the tournament so far. He went 4-for-5 with two RBI, two stolen bases and scored three runs and added more fireworks in the eighth. Vern blasted a two-out, two-run home run that carried out to right field in a three-run inning to give the Frogs a 9-1 lead.

BYU, which went 2-2 in the tournament, finished the season 30-24. The Frogs took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second on a two-run single up the middle by designated hitter Matt Curry, who went 2-for-4.