June 26, 2010

Final Stats |  Photo Gallery 

Game Quotes

OMAHA, Neb. - The most successful season in TCU baseball history came to an end with a disappointing 10-3 loss to UCLA in an elimination game on Saturday afternoon. The Bruins tallied five runs in the first inning and never looked back. Playing in his final game, Bryan Holaday connected on a pair of solo home runs to lead the Frogs offense.

Kyle Winkler took the loss for the Frogs, falling to 12-3 on the season. He didn't retire a batter and gave up three runs on two hits. Paul Gerrish was touched up for three runs on five hits in 1 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out one. Trent Appleby was solid in 2 2/3 innings of work, holding the Bruins scoreless on four hits. Kaleb Merck tossed two innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits with three strikeouts. Eric Marshall surrendered a run on one hit and Greg Holle tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Frogs got off to a good start in the game as Holaday connected for his 16th home run of the season to put TCU up 1-0.

Disaster struck in the bottom of the inning as Frog pitchers struggled to find the strike zone. Winkler hit the first batter before Niko Gallego singled to put runners on the corners. Blair Dunlap gave the Bruins a 3-1 advantage with his sixth home run of the season, ending Winkler's night. Gerrish issued a walk to Cody Regis and he came around to score on a one-out double off the bat of Jeff Gelalich. Dean Espy made it a 5-1 contest with a base hit up the middle.

TCU had a chance to cut into the deficit with two outs in the top of the second. Taylor Featherston doubled and moved to third on a wild pitch. Aaron Schultz worked a walk, but on a 3-2 pitch, UCLA starter, Trevor Bauer, was able to get the strikeout to end the inning.

After UCLA tacked on a run to their lead on a double by Regis, Trent Appleby came on and minimized the damage by retiring the two batters he faced in the inning. After two innings, the Frogs found themselves in a 6-1 hole.

Appleby put up a zero in the third and the Frogs scratched across an unearned run in the top of the fourth to creep within four, 6-2. Matt Curry reached on an error to open the inning and moved to second on a wild pitch. Jantzen Witte dumped a single into left to put runners on the corners and Joe Weik delivered a sacrifice fly to score Curry.

Holaday cut the lead in half with two outs in the fifth inning as he unloaded for his second home run of the day. The blast to straight away center made it a 6-3 ballgame after five.

After being silenced through the middle innings, the Bruins awoke to pick up a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth. Regis delivered a run-scoring single up the middle and Dunlap scored on a passed ball to make it an 8-3 ballgame.

The Bruins tacked on a pair of runs in the seventh, one on a home run from Espy and then Steve Rodriguez scored on a passed ball to account for the final score.

TCU wraps up an extremely successful 2010 campaign with a 54-14 record.

Game Notes:
* Bryan Holaday's first-inning home run was the 100th long all of the season for the Frogs.
* The Frogs lost for just the fifth time when scoring in the first inning (29-5) and when scoring first (34-5).
* Bryan Holaday and Matt Curry became the first Horned Frogs to play in 68 games in one season. The pair are the lone Frogs to play in every game this season.
* The multiple home run game for Bryan Holaday is his third of the season and the 10th for the Frogs this season.
* The Frogs say goodbye to five seniors as Bryan Holaday, Matt Curry, Paul Gerrish, Eric Marshall and Tyler Lockwood all dressed for the final time in the Purple and White.