Frogs ready for rematch against Texas State Tuesday night
3/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 14, 2006
SAN MARCOS, Texas - The TCU Horned Frogs will try to avenge a 5-1 loss to Texas State earlier this season when they take the field against Texas State on Tuesday night in San Marcos, Texas. The game is the halfway point in a season-long eight game road trip. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m. at Bobcat Field.
Frogs on the Internet
Baseball fans unable to make it to the game Tuesday night can follow the game live on Gametracker or listen to the game on KTCU 88.7 FM on the radio or the Internet. Chuck LaMendola will call all the action live from the ballpark.
About the Series
The Frogs are struggling to string wins together and stand at 9-9 18 games into the season. Meanwhile, after a 3-11 start to the season, the Texas State Bobcats are on a roll. They have won six straight including picking up a win over then-ranked, Texas A&M a week ago. The contest marks the halfway point of an eight-game road swing. The Frogs will have revenge on their mind as they look to avenge a 5-1 loss to the Bobcats in their home opener on Feb. 14. TCU has lost three straight to Texas State dating back to the 2004 campaign.
About The Frogs
In their two losses this past weekend, the bats have been silent and they have struggled to take advantage of the opportunities presented on the bases. Despite a rough first inning against Rice on Friday, the Frogs continue to get great starting pitching. The defense has also shown a marked improvement as they committed just two errors all weekend.
Offensively, Matt Carpenter and Steven Trout strung together five-hit weekends to raise their batting averages. Trout hit the only two home runs of the weekend for TCU, while Carpenter had two two-hit contests. Chad Huffman returned to the starting lineup after missing six starts with a strained hamstring. Bryan Kervin continues to stroke doubles as he collected two more this weekend to bring his league-leading total to nine.
On the mound, Jake Arrieta suffered his first loss, as he didn't get any run support from the offense. Brad Furnish fell victim to that as well after nine strong innings and allowing just three runs to then-No. 13 Arizona State. The Frogs only managed to scratch across one run in the loss. Sam Demel earned his second win of the season with an eight-inning performance against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday.
About The Bobcats
A big part of the Bobcats success this season can be attributed to a strong pitching staff. In their six consecutive wins, Texas State has limited opponents to just 12 runs and just two in its last two games. Offensively, they are hitting just .251 as a team led by Cody Merrell's .403 average. Luke Cannon is the home run threat with four. As a team, they have hit just 10 long balls all season. They are prone to the strike out, having done so 120 times this season. Thomas Field is a threat on the bases as he has swiped 11 bags in 14 attempts. As a team, they have stolen 28 bases in 38 attempts. Defensively, they are fielding at a .969 clip, having committed 23 errors on the season. Nobody has more than four errors on the team.
The Starters
Shawn Ferguson will make his second start of the season when he takes the mound on Tuesday night. He started a week ago against then-No. 23 Oklahoma. He suffered the loss as he surrendered five runs on three hits in a career-high four innings pitched. He walked four and struck out four. On the season, Ferguson is 1-2 in five appearances. He has a 7.5 ERA in 11.1 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting just .227 off of the righty. He has struck out 11.
The Bobcats will send right-hander Ryan Bennett to the mound. He is 0-1 this season with a 5.30 ERA. The start will be his fifth of the season and his sixth appearance overall. In 18.2 innings pitched, Bennett has allowed 14 runs on 13 hits. He has struck out 19, but walked 16. Opponents are hitting just .205 off of him. He started a week ago against Texas A&M and got a no-decision. He gave up two unearned runs in four innings pitched. He struck out three and walked one.
TCU vs. Texas State Base Knocks
• Tuesday's game will mark the 30th meeting between the two schools.
• TCU leads the series 17-12.
• The Bobcats swept a series from the Frogs in 2004, winning game on 7-4 and game two 6-2.
• The Frogs are 0-3 against the Bobcats under Jim Schlossnagle as they lost 5-1 in Fort Worth on Feb. 14.
• The last TCU victory over Texas State was on March 10 at the Express College Classic in Round Rock, Texas. The Frogs won the contest 4-3.
