TCU Routs UT Arlington 17-4 on the Road

The Frog's bats were silent last weekend in Austin for the first two games of the series, and even on Saturday when we won, UT committed four errors on our way to building a comfortable lead. Tonight they were facing a pretty good offensive club, so the fear of a continued offensive slump was real. If losing a series to sub .500 Texas was a major setback, then losing three of our last four would be bordering on disastrous. Those worries started to creep in during the bottom of the second inning when Rex Hill was touched up for a couple of runs, but TCU answered with five runs in the top of the third and never looked back.

Rex Hill was throwing his first Tuesday night game of the season after switching spots in the rotation with Dalton Horton. Hill was much improved from his last start on Saturday against Texas, in which he lasted only 1 2/3 innings. Tonight, Rex went 4 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on four hits while striking out eight batters and walking two. The offense gave him plenty of support too. Down 2-0 in the top of the third Warner and Skoug had back to back one-out singles and Luken Baker struck out to set up Barzilli with the chance at a two-out RBI. As he has been so many times this year, he was up to the task. Barzilli's single scored Warner and moved Skoug to third; he would score shortly afterwards on a wild pitch to tie up the game. Watson homered in the next at-bat to drive in Barzilli and tie him for the team lead in home runs at five. After a Wanhanen double and a single by Steinhagen, the TCU lead had increased to 5-2. All that scoring happened with two outs.

Altogether TCU scored 17 runs on 16 hits and nine walks. Cam Warner opened up the game with four straight singles and finished the night 4 for 6, scoring three runs with an RBI. Skoug was 2 for 4 with two runs and an RBI and Wanhanen was 3 for 4 with one run and two RBIs. Watson had the lone two-run homer.

Jared Janczak relieved Hill in the fifth inning and pitched just 2/3rds of an inning, earning the win. Despite the fact that UTA scored two runs in that frame, they were credited to Hill, and TCU had already scored 13 runs. Wymer and Gooch each pitched two scoreless innings without letting up a single hit, as TCU coasted to a blowout win. Wymer struck out five and Gooch struck out two. Neither one walked a batter. TCU will continue their road trip in a three game series against Wichita State this weekend where they hope to prove that the hitting slump they had against Texas is over for good.