TCU Drops Opener at Louisiana

Friday, March 19

Lafayette, LA

6 PM

TCU

11-7

Louisiana

11-8

TCU

Louisiana

TCU Drops Opener at Louisiana

3/19/2021 10:15:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Shepherd homers for the Frogs.

LAFAYETTE, La. – A pair of three run home runs from Louisiana was too much for TCU to overcome in dropping a 7-2 decision in the series opener Friday night at Russo Park. Conner Shepherd hit his second home run of the season in the loss.

The Rundown
Louisiana opened the scoring in fourth, capitalizing on a one-out triple from Ben Fitzgerald. He scored on a sacrifice fly to give the Ragin' Cajuns a 1-0 lead.

TCU had opportunities to get on the board in the third and sixth innings. Tommy Sacco and Gray Rodgers reached to open the third, but a double play ball squelched the rally. A pair of two-out base runners were stranded in the sixth.

An error to open the sixth opened the door for Louisiana and three batters later, the TCU deficit was 4-0 after Fitzgerald hit a three run home run.

Conner Shepherd got the Frogs on the board in the seventh with a two-out solo home run to make it a 4-1 game. The Cajuns, though, answered in the bottom of the inning with another three run home run that pushed the score to 7-1.

TCU plated a run in the ninth as Phillip Sikes scored on a Sacco double to account for the final score.

Russell Smith (3-1) was tagged with his first loss of the season, allowing six runs (four earned) on seven hits. He didn't walk a batter and struck out seven. Dalton Brown allowed a run on a hit and fanned three in his lone inning of work. Harrison Beethe walked one and struck out one in a scoreless inning on the mound.

Stat of the Game:
4 – TCU committed a season-high four errors, three of which allowed a hitter to reach base. Two of those runners came around to score.

Notes:
• TCU registered a stolen base in a game for the 12th time this season.
• TCU homered in a game for the ninth time this season.
• The TCU pitching staff registered double-digit strikeouts for the 11^th time this season.
• TCU was outhit in a game for the eighth time this season.
• Brayden Taylor has reached safely in 13 straight games.
• Phillip Sikes has reached safely in seven straight.
• Porter Brown notched his third multi-hit game of the year and the ninth of his career.
• Conner Shepherd hit his second home run of the season and the 19^th of his career.
• Tommy Sacco has reached safely in six straight contests.
• Sacco tallied his first multi-hit game of the season and the sixth of his career.

Next Up:
With the loss, TCU falls to 11-7 on the season. Game 2 of the series is slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at Russo Park. The game will be televised on ESPN+. Austin Krob will get the start for the Horned Frogs.