TCU Defeats Dallas Baptist 3-2 in Extra Innings

These Frogs apparently didn't get enough extra-innings excitement this weekend. For the second time in their last three games, TCU battled past the end of the ninth inning and came out victorious.

With Mitchell Traver out of action, Dalton Horton rose to the occasion against DBU. Last year, as a freshman, Horton blazed to a 7-0 record through the first two months of the season, but struggled towards the end of the year, falling out of the starting rotation. On Tuesday night he put together four innings of work, allowing just one run on two hits. He had one walk and eight strikeouts, throwing a total of 67 pitches. It was everything you might have hoped for, and if Schlossnagle had known this game would go to extra innings, he might have left him in longer.

Martinson, the Patriots’ starter, produced three innings of one-hit ball on his end too, but this pitching dual was a team effort for both pitching staffs. The Frogs and the Patriots each used six pitchers in the first nine innings, and the only pitchers who got two or more innings a-piece were the starters and the closers.

Elledge and Feltman, the two closers, put on a dramatic late-inning pitcher’s duel in the eighth, ninth and tenth innings. Elledge went 2 ²⁄₃ innings, allowing one run on three hits with one walk and six strikeouts. Feltman threw a no hitter for two innings, walking one batter and striking out three.

DBU jumped on top 1-0 in the top of the second inning as the Patriots got a lead off double and then followed that up with a single to score the go-ahead run. The Frogs didn't have an answer until the bottom of the fifth, when a one out single by Wade got things going. Wade advanced to second on an error before Barzilli singled to out runners on the corners and Skoug put a ball in play, reaching base on a fielder’s choice and allowing Wade to score the tying run.

The Patriots and the Frogs each added a run in the seventh. DBU led off the inning with another double before two straight groundouts allowed the runner to advance to third and score to make it 2-1. In the bottom of the frame Barzilli singled with two outs, advancing to second on a walk by Skoug and scoring the equalizer on a single from Luken Baker.

In the bottom of the 10th Luken Baker got on base with a walk around strikeouts by Skoug and Watson. Elledge was dealing, but nearing the end of his third inning of work, the Frogs finally got to him. Nolan Brown singled up the middle to put runners on the corners and then stole second to give TCU two runners in scoring position. On a 2-2 count, a single up the middle from Cam Warner scored Baker and gave TCU the 3-2 win.