TCU 4, DBU 1: Frogs down Patriots in extras

TCU baseball snapped its five-game losing streak against Dallas Baptist on Tuesday, taking the game into the 12th inning before the Horned Frogs scored three runs to outlast the Patriots 4-1 on the road. TCU’s freshman pitchers shined during the game, with left-hander Braeden Sloan starting and allowing only one run on one hit with two walks and two strikeouts. Right-handed freshman Louis Rodriguez was dominant once again, striking out four and allowing no runs over four and two-thirds innings. Right-hander Cohen Feser ran his scoreless streak to six innings to start the season, pitching the 12th to earn the save.

Dallas Baptist took a 1-0 lead on a fielder’s choice grounder in the bottom of the second inning. TCU stranded several runners throughout the game, but the Horned Frogs finally came through in the top of the fifth inning, when a sacrifice fly from outfielder Austin Davis brought freshman catcher Karson Bowen home to even the score at 1-1. TCU left 11 runners on base in the game, but the pitching kept Dallas Baptist off the board in the later innings. The Patriots entered with a 7-0 record, making Tuesday’s defeat their first of the season.

TCU’s three-run frame began with a double from Bowen in the top of the 12th inning. Freshman shortstop Anthony Silva stepped into the box and laid a bunt down the first-base line, but an error by Dallas Baptist pitcher Zane Russell resulted in a wide throw that allowed Bowen to round third and score to give the Horned Frogs a 2-1 lead. After Davis and third baseman Brayden Taylor reached on walks, second baseman Tre Richardson delivered with two outs in the frame, slapping a two-run single through the left side that plated Silva and Davis. Silva went 1-for-4 in the game and now holds an eight-game hitting streak.

While Bowen made noise at the plate with his lead-off double in the 12th inning, the freshman catcher also threw out his fourth baserunner of the season. With Bowen drawing starts at catcher, TCU has used Kurtis Byrne as the designated hitter, further strengthening the lineup as Bowen has opened the season 6-for-15 (.400 average) with two doubles.