TCU 11, Baylor 2: Horned Frogs dominant from the mound and the plate in securing Big 12 series win

Fort Worth, TX — Coming into this weekend’s series at TCU, Baylor Baseball was the hottest hitting team in the Big 12 Conference. Two games, they look like anything but.

After being held to just one unearned run Friday night, the Bears were stifled even further Saturday, as Austin Krob took a no-hitter into the seventh inning while the TCU offense exploded early and often to allow him to cruise through with ease.

After Krob started things off with a strikeout as part of a 1-2-3 first, the TCU offense got things rolling with a five run opener in the bottom half. After an Elijah Nunez strikeout, the next eight batters reached safely for the Frogs, highlighted by Hunter Wolfe’s second home run in two days, this a three run rocket to left center that put TCU on top 4-0.

Six straight singles gave TCU the chance to bat around in the first, and they closed their first go-round with a 5-0 advantage.

It was far more than Austin Krob would need.

He allowed one-out walks in the second and fourth but set down the side in order in the third, fifth, and sixth. Meanwhile, TCU added two runs on three hits in the second and three runs on two hits — with the help of a two run shot off the bat of Gene Wood — in the third, to make it a 10-0 ball game.

Krob struck out the side in the sixth, carrying the no-hitter into the seventh inning. But a pinch-hit double off the bat of Valdez with two outs broke up the no-no, and Krob’s day ended after seven complete, having shutout the Bears thanks to a one-hit, nine strikeout performance.

Freshman Braxton Pearson, a righty out of Georgetown, TX, made his TCU debut in the eighth, working around a double and a walk and inducing an inning-ending double play. He was relieved by Augie Mihlbauer for the ninth, and the junior — who has had a tough start to 2021 — hit the first batter he faced and walked the second, but finally got an out via a strikeout. After a single loaded the bases, Mihlbauer was replaced by Drew Hill, who allowed a base hit to the first batter he faced to break up the shutout. but he got a strikeout and a groundout to get out of further damage, and TCU secured the monster win.

In a big offensive day for the Frogs, veterans Hunter Wolfe, Zach Humphreys, and Gene Wood shined. Wolfe and Wood got things done with the long ball, while Humphreys reached safely in all five of his plate appearances, garnering four hits — including a double — walking once, scoring three runs, and driving in three. After a slow start, he has been hitting the seams off the ball over the last few weeks, raising his average to .324 and making life miserable for opposing pitchers. Porter Brown had his best offensive day in purple, going 3-3 at the plate with an RBI, a double, and two walks, as he continues to light it up (.367 average) with Wolfe relegated to DH as he works through an injury. Gray Rodgers and Brayden Taylor had two hits a piece for the Frogs as well.

TCU struck out just three times Saturday as a team, walked 10 times, and collected 15 hits. 14 different players stepped to the plate and nine of them reached safely, as it seemed that everything went right for TCU.

It was an utterly dominant performance in all phases of the game for the Horned Frogs, as they secured a series win over the rival Bears. With the victory, TCU runs their record to 15-7 (2-0). They will play for the Sunday Sweep tomorrow, with Johnny Ray on the mound for a 1:00pm start.