Baseball drops game two of doubleheader at No. 5 TCU, 11-6

Saturday, April 25

Fort Worth, Texas

4 p.m.

University of Texas

22-21, 8-9

TCU

33-8, 9-5

Texas

TCU

Baseball drops game two of doubleheader at No. 5 TCU, 11-6

04.25.2015 | Baseball

Box Score

Mistakes costly as TCU scores seven unearned runs

FORT WORTH, Texas -- The Baseball team dropped the second game of a doubleheader at No. 5 TCU, 11-6, Saturday afternoon at Lupton Stadium.

The Longhorns (22-21, 8-9 Big 12) held a 3-2 lead in the fourth before TCU (33-8, 9-5 Big 12) rallied for eight unanswered runs over the next three innings, seven of them unearned, to take command.

Each team totaled 14 hits in the game, and TCU committed one more error than Texas, but both miscues by the Horns were costly. The first, in the fifth inning, led to the game-tying run for the Frogs while the second opened the door for six unearned runs in the seventh inning.

Texas got at least one hit from every starter in the lineup including three each from Ben Johnson and C.J Hinojosa, while Brooks Marlow blasted his fourth homer of the season. Bret Boswell, who went 2-for-3 in the first game of the doubleheader, turned in another multi-hit performance by going 2-for-4 with a run and a RBI.

In his second career start Ty Culbreth (3-3) was effective for the Longhorns, setting career highs with six innings pitched and six strikeouts. The junior lefty scattered 10 hits and allowed four runs, three of them earned.

TCU reliever Brian Trieglaff (2-0) was credited with the win after allowing two runs on three hits in two innings pitched. Starter Tyler Alexander went 5 2/3 innings, striking out six while allowing three runs (two earned) on 10 hits.

Trailing 2-1 in the fourth, Marlow gave Texas a spark by leading off the inning with a solo blast to right field that tied it. Joe Baker then reached on an error and Johnson drove him in with a single to right field, putting the Horns on top 3-2.

TCU, though, tied it in the fifth when a potential double play ball was bobbled and Evan Skoug lifted a sacrifice fly to left field with the bases loaded to tie it.

In the sixth, Texas loaded the bases with one out after Boswell singled, Baker doubled and Johnson was intentionally walked. After Alexander recorded a strikeout for the second out, Trieglaff came in and got another for the third out to strand the bases full.

The Horned Frogs edged ahead, 4-3, with another sacrifice fly in the sixth and then opened it up in the seventh. With two outs, a routine grounder that should have ended the inning resulted in an error and TCU proceeded to strike for six runs on two hits, two walks and a hit batter.

Texas fought for a pair of runs in the eighth, with Boswell driving in Gurwitz who had led off the frame with a double, and Shaw driving in Boswell on a groundout. The Horns got another run in the ninth when Marlow hit a RBI sacrifice fly to right field.

The Horns and Frogs are set to conclude the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. RHP Chad Hollingsworth will take the mound for Texas against LHP Alex Young of TCU. The game will be televised by Fox Sports Southwest Plus.

QUOTES FROM AUGIE GARRIDO

On the six-run seventh inning: [The mistakes] were just too much to overcome. We made some uncharacteristic poor plays on the infield. Actually, the separation in the two teams might have been the infield play – they made some extremely good plays defensively in the middle.

On assessing the pitching staff being two starters down: We've got all that but when you start talking injuries you start making excuses and you don't try to find solutions. We're trying to find solutions. This was a very tough game physically but mentally it was tougher because it adds to the accumulation of losses. That always magnifies the things that go wrong. Actually Ty Culbreth pitched really well and will start again next week. We just made the mistakes that separated the two teams.

NOTES

- Four players had multi-hit games on Saturday: Bret Boswell (12th and 13th this season), C.J Hinojosa (eighth), Ben Johnson (20th) and Collin Shaw (ninth).

- Tres Barrera extended his hitting streak to six games with a hit in each game.

- Texas' 6-5 defeat in game one marked the ninth one-run loss of the season.

- The Longhorns turned two double plays on Saturday and now have turned 43 this season, a mark which ranks third in the Big 12.

- Texas recorded 14 hits in game two and for the doubleheader hit .341 (28-of-82). TCU, though, hit .400 (28-of-70).

- Michael Cantu threw out a runner attempting to steal game one, his eighth runner caught stealing this year. Tres Barrera has also caught eight stealing.

- Ty Culbreth made his second career start as part of a Longhorn pitching staff that has been forced to shuffle in Big 12 play. The Longhorns have used six different starting pitchers in conference play.