No. 6/4 Baseball drops series opener to TCU, 3-0

Thursday, April 17

Austin, Texas

6 p.m.

University of Texas

30-9, 9-4

TCU

24-13, 8-5

Texas Christian

Texas Longhorns

No. 6/4 Baseball drops series opener to TCU, 3-0

04.17.2014 | Baseball

Box Score

French strikes out four in 6 1/3 but is outdueled by TCU’s Brandon Finnegan

Quotes

AUSTIN, Texas – The No. 6/4 Texas baseball team dropped the first game of its series opener with TCU 3-0 Thursday night at UFCU Disch-Falk Field as Horned Frogs starting pitcher Brandon Finnegan tossed eight innings of shutout ball.

Texas starter Parker French dueled with Finnegan the first four innings, but TCU (24-13, 8-5 Big 12) broke through with a three-run fifth inning and rode Finnegan's arm to victory.

A junior lefty, Finnegan came into Thursday's matchup second nationally with 84 strikeouts, and recorded 11 against Texas. It marked the sixth time this season Finnegan, who improved to 7-2 with a 1.56 ERA, has recorded double-digit strikeouts.

Texas (30-9, 9-4 Big 12), which came into the matchup averaging 6.5 runs over the last 17 games, was shutout for the first time since the season opener at Cal on Feb. 14. The Longhorns recorded all four of their hits in the first three innings, while Finnegan allowed just one base-runner – a walk to Madison Carter in the seventh – in his last five innings of work.

French (4-3) was solid in 6 1/3 innings of work, striking out four and allowing just the three runs in the fifth inning. After TCU opened the game with a leadoff single, French retired nine in a row.

But the Horned Frogs broke through in the fifth – using three hits, a hit batter and an error on a failed pickoff attempt to take a 3-0 lead.

Finnegan followed that up by striking out the side in the bottom of the inning to reach nine Ks for the game. After his exit, Horned Frogs closer Riley Ferrell came on to work a 1-2-3 ninth for his seventh save of the season.

Texas had its chances in the first few innings. The Longhorns had their leadoff man reach in each of the first two innings – including a double from C.J Hinojosa in the second – but were unable to punch in a run. In the third, Mark Payton reached on a bunt single with two outs, stole second and advanced to third on an error, but was stranded.

Game two of the series is set for a 6 p.m. first pitch on Friday. LHP Dillon Peters (5-2, 2.70) takes the mound for Texas vs. TCU RHP Preston Morrison (4-3, 1.80).