New Mexico evens series with 7-4 win over TCU

Friday, March 21

Fort Worth, Texas

6:30 PM

TCU

10-9, 1-1

New Mexico

12-9, 2-3

New Mexico

TCU

Bryan Kervin is the hottest hitter at the plate for the Frogs.

New Mexico evens series with 7-4 win over TCU

3/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 21, 2008

Final Stats

FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU Horned Frogs fell to New Mexico Friday night at Lupton Stadium by a 7-4 score. The Lobos put up two runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings to erase a 3-2 deficit and held on for the victory. Brett Medlin had a strong offensive game for the Frogs as he went 3-for-3 at the plate with a run driven in.

New Mexico plated a run in each of the first two innings to take an early 2-0 lead on TCU. Matt Hibbitts doubled home Anthony Martinez in the first, but was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple.

The Lobos looked poised to bust the game open in the second as they had runners on the corners with only one out. Rafael Neda was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice. Kevin Atkinson singled to put two on with one out and Adam Courcha singled through the left side to drive in the second run of the game. TCU starter Greg Holle (1-2) picked up a huge out to help himself get out of the inning when he picked off Courcha at first, then got Scott Gracey to ground out to end the inning .

TCU knotted the game with two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Lobo starter Jacob Norton struggled with the strike zone, helping the Frogs tie the game. Bryan Kervin and Brett Medlin hit back-to-back one-out singles and Bryan Holaday took a ball off the backside to load the bases. Steve Ellington was hit on the foot to drive in the Frogs' first run of the game and Matt Vern worked a five-pitch walk to send home Medlin with the tying run.

The Frogs grabbed the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 3-2 lead. Corey Steglich laid down a bunt single down the third base line for a hit and scored on a two-out triple from Medlin.

In the sixth, Mike Brownstein broke up a string of 10-straight batters retired by Holle with a lead-off single. A failed pick-off throw moved Brownstein to third where he scored on a single by Hibbitts. Bobby Moore walked ending Holle's night. TCU reliever Trent Appleby got a big strikeout for the second out but Dane Hamilton singled to give the Lobos a 4-3 lead.

Two more Lobo runs crossed the plate in the seventh. With two on and one out, Brownstein bunted for a base hit to give New Mexico a two-run lead and Hibbitts was hit with the bases loaded to make it a 6-3 contest.

The Frogs scratched across a run in the bottom of the seventh on a Kervin sacrifice fly. Steglich walked to open the inning and moved to third with only one out. Kervin delivered, sending a fly ball to center field to pull the Frogs within two, 6-4. Clinton Cox came on in relief of Lobo starter Jacob Norton (2-2) and got Holaday to ground into a fielder's choice to end the inning.

The Lobos tacked on an insurance run in the top of the ninth and Cox retired the last seven batters he faced to shut the door on the Frogs.

Holle surrendered four runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings of work. He walked one and struck out two in the loss.

The Frogs fall to 10-9 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. They will go for the series win on Saturday afternoon. Sean Hoelscher will take the mound for the Frogs and face New Mexico's Willy Kesler. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at Lupton Stadium.