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Johnny Rizer put together one of the more complete performances you’ll ever see in a TCU baseball uniform Friday to help TCU beat Texas 3-2 in the Big 12 opener.
Rizer made an outstanding catch to rob a home run in the fourth inning. Then, with TCU trailing 2-1 in the ninth, he cracked a double that tied the game and put the winning run on third base. The Frogs had trailed 2-0 heading into the home half of the ninth.
I have no words to describe Rizer’s catch, so just trust me and watch the video for it here:
HIGHWAY ROBBERY!!! Johnny Rizer robs the Longhorns of a home run in the top of the fourth! #GoFrogs #SCTOP10 pic.twitter.com/lQkRwcQDtx
— TCU Baseball (@TCU_Baseball) March 23, 2019
Rizer’s double set the stage for Alex Oviedo to come in and hit a shallow fly ball to left, which Texas couldn’t handle, allowing the winning run to score.
Nick Lodolo threw 7.2 scoreless innings for the Frogs, and it looked as though he had completed eight full without giving up a run. But replay review overturned a play at the plate that would’ve ended the top of the eighth inning and gave Texas a 1-0 lead.
Skip to the 20 second mark of this video to see the call at home (or you can watch the first 20 seconds, too, to see Rizer’s catch again):
Baseball can taketh and giveth:
— Shawn Clynch (@ShawnC_KVUE) March 23, 2019
-UT's Zach Zubia robbed of a homer by this fabulous snag by the TCU outfielder.
-A bold decision by UT 4 frames later with no score sending Duke Ellis to steal home. Initially ruled out, after review Ellis was safe..
#Big12Baseball #HornsFrogs pic.twitter.com/omYdKqh302
Lodolo threw 8.0 innings, striking out nine, allowing nine hits and walking two.
For most of the game at the plate, TCU couldn’t get anything going. The Frogs had just two runners in scoring position through the first eight innings.
Marcelo Perez came in to pitch the top of the ninth for the Frogs and gave up a leadoff walk. A wild pitch and a sac fly later, and Texas took a 2-0 lead going into the final home half of the game.
Alex Isola was hit by a pitch to open the bottom of the ninth and Texas went to the bullpen, switching out sophomore starter Bryce Elder for sophomore closer Kamron Fields. Jake Guenther drew a walk off Fields on a full count to put runners on first and second and send the winning run, in the form of Austin Henry, to the plate with no outs. Brad Czerniejewski came in to run for Guenther. A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third, and another wild pitch brought home Isola to make it 2-1 Texas with nobody out and Czerniejewski at third.
Henry drew a walk. That brought up Rizer, and then brought up Oviedo, and then they walked it off against the Longhorns.
The Frogs are now 14-6 on the year. TCU will play Texas again tomorrow at Lupton Stadium at 7:30 p.m.