TCU Takes Series; Tops Wichita State, 8-4

Saturday, March 28

Fort Worth, Texas

2:00 PM

TCU

20-4

Wichita State

11-15

Wichita State

TCU

TCU Takes Series; Tops Wichita State, 8-4

3/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

March 28, 2015

Final Stats | Notes

FORT WORTH - No. 2 TCU continued to swing hot bats as it defeated Wichita State, 8-4, to take the series victory. Cody Jones (two hits) and Connor Wanhanen (four hits) set the table at the top of the order as the Horned Frogs pounded out 13 hits Saturday afternoon.

Preston Morrison improved to 6-0 on the season after allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits in 6 1/3 innings of work. He didn't walk a batter and struck out six. Trey Teakell surrendered a hit and struck out two in 1 2/3 innings. Riley Ferrell struck out the side in the ninth.

TCU jumped in front in the first inning as it took advantage of a failed turn of a double play. Cody Jones led off the game with a base hit and moved to second on a Wanhanen base knock. Garrett Crain hit a bouncer to the shortstop that looked like it would be an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play, but the relay throw to first sailed wide, allowing Jones to score to make it a 1-0 game.

A pair of walks around a Wanhanen double in the third loaded the bases with nobody out. Skoug hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the first run of the inning. Dane Steinhagen followed with a base hit to push the lead to 3-0.

The Shockers got the runs back in the top of the fourth as they took advantage of a lead-off error. A double followed to put two in scoring position with nobody out. Morrison looked poised to get out of the inning after a shallow fly ball and a strikeout, but a two-out base hit from Sam Hilliard cleared the bases to pull Wichita State within one, 3-2.

TCU got some breathing room in the fifth with a trio of runs. Cody Jones walked and moved to second on a Wanhanen base hit to start the inning. A long fly ball out off the bat of Crain put runners on the corners with one out. Skoug hit a hot shot up the middle that was snared by the pitcher who elected to try and get the out at home. Jones slid across the plate, knocking the ball out of the catcher's glove to make it a 4-2 game. Keaton Jones came through with a two-out, two-run double to push the lead to 6-2.

Wichita State battled back again to pull within two, 6-4, in the seventh. Hilliard struck again as he hit a two-run home run with nobody out in the inning. With a runner on second and one out, Teakell came on in relief. He got a strikeout for out No. 2, the surrendered a single to put runners on the corners. A fly ball to left ended the inning with the lead in tact.

TCU pushed across single runs in both the seventh and eighth to regain a four run lead, 8-4. Skoug doubled in the seventh and scored on a passed ball. Another lead-off double in the eighth, this one from Nolan Brown, scored on a Cody Jones base hit.

With the victory, TCU improves to 20-4 overall. The Frogs will go for the series sweep Sunday afternoon. Game time is set for 1 p.m. Alex Young will take the mound for the Horned Frogs in a game that will be televised on FSSW+.