Frogs rally falls short in 5-3 loss

Saturday, March 22

Fort Worth, Texas

1:00 PM

TCU

10-10, 1-2

New Mexico

13-9, 3-3

New Mexico

TCU

Matt Vern hit his first home run of the season.

Frogs rally falls short in 5-3 loss

3/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 22, 2008

Final Stats

FORT WORTH, Texas - A grand slam by New Mexico in the fifth inning proved to be the difference as the TCU Horned Frogs dropped the rubber game 5-3 to the Lobos Saturday afternoon at Lupton Stadium. Bryan Kervin drove in two runs in the sixth and Matt Vern hit a line-drive home run to lead off the ninth, but it wasn't enough. Andrew Cashner tossed three scoreless inning of relief to lead the Frogs' pitching staff.

Trailing 5-2 heading into the bottom of the ninth, Vern gave the Frogs life as he delivered a home run over the left center field fence to make it a 5-3 contest. Hunt Woodruff collected a pinch-hit single, but New Mexico reliever Brandon Hewett got Jimmie Pharr to pop out and Corey Steglich to ground into a double play to end the game.

New Mexico broke a scoreless tie in the fourth as they pushed across a run on two hits. Matt Hibbitts led off the inning with a single and moved to third on a Dane Hamilton base hit. Ian Hollick grounded out to Ben Carruthers at second to make it a 1-0 game.

A grand slam by Lobo designated hitter Bobby Moore put the Frogs in a five-run hole. A walk to Adam Courcha started the Lobo top of the fifth and two straight singles loaded the bases for Moore. With two on and one out, Trent Appleby came on in relief of TCU starter Sean Hoelscher. He got Hollick to ground into a fielder's choice and Kevin Atkinson to ground out for the final out of the inning.

TCU put a two-spot on the board in the bottom of the sixth to cut into the deficit. Brett Medlin got the rally started with a one-out single. Carruthers dropped a bloop single into center. Bryan Kervin came through with a bases-clearing doubled to the gap in left center.

Hoelscher (1-2) surrendered five runs on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings of work. He walked four batters and didn't record a strikeout. Appleby retired all five batters he faced. Cashner threw three scoreless innings. He didn't allow a hit, walked one and struck out two.

An eighth-inning rally by the Frogs went by the wayside as Lobo starter Stephen Smith worked around a lead-off walk and a two-out hit. Medlin drew the lead-off walk and moved to third inning on Holaday's third base hit of the contest. Smith got Matt Carpenter to line out to left field to end the threat.

The Frogs fell to 10-10 on the season and 1-2 in conference play. They return to the diamond Monday night when they head to Frisco, Texas for a 6:30 p.m. meeting against Dallas Baptist. The game will be played at the Dr Pepper/7 Up Ballpark, home of the Texas Rangers' AA Frisco Roughriders.