TCU Beats Baylor to Open Big 12 Tournament Play

TCU got a solid start to the post-season, as they smoked the Bears in game one of the Big 12 Baseball tournament. TCU smashed three home runs, including back to back shots by Evan Skoug and Luken Baker on consecutive pitches to break things open in the eighth.

The Frogs started slowly, as freshman starter Dalton Horton surrendered two runs on two hits in the second after getting an easy one-two-three inning to open play. TCU answered back in the bottom of the frame, answering the Bears on Josh Watson's two-run blast to tie things up at two apiece. Sean Wymer took the mound in the third, and would go on to pitch 3.1 innings of beautifully ugly baseball, spreading out three runs on seven hits to keep his team in the lead and earn the win. TCU added two in the fourth and three more in the sixth, holding the Bears at bay even as they made a couple mini-runs of their own.

It was Baker's show though, as the TCU slugger and newly minted Big 12 Freshman of the Year dominated the day, going five for five with three singles, a double, and the solo blast that cleared the scoreboard late. His three RBIs helped stuff the scoresheet, but he wasn't alone, as Wade, Warner, Barzilli, Watson, and Hesse all had multi-hit games of their own. Hesse had what was possibly the play of the game, as he hit a high pop that somehow fell in behind the first base bag and ended up an RBI triple. TCU got back to their patient in the box ways, drawing six walks against only three strikeouts on their way to 17 hits and the 12 runs.

From the mound, after the rocky start, the TCU bullpen came through in a big way, as four relievers combined for seven innings of eight hit, three run ball against a potent Bear offense. Guillory, Brown, and Gooch shined, as they held BU to one hit over the final 3.2 frames, striking out five and issuing only a single walk. TCU pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts against only six walks, while remaining fresh enough to face the rest of the tournament.

TCU will look to the recently returned Mitchell Traver to start Thursday's game, against the winner of Wednesday night's Oklahoma State/Texas tilt. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30pm at Chickasaw Ballpark in Oklahoma City.