GoFrogs: TCU Powers Past Baylor, 12-5

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GoFrogs: TCU Powers Past Baylor, 12-5

OKLAHOMA CITY — Luken Baker’s five-hit game spurred the TCU Horned Frogs to a 12-5 victory over Baylor in their opening game of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championships.

The Rundown
For the fourth straight game, TCU saw the opposition take the lead as Baylor opened up a 2-0 advantage in the top of the second.

The Frogs responded in a big way in the bottom of the frame. Baker opened the inning with a base hit and Josh Watson launched his 11th home run of the season to dead center to tie the game at two.

A pair of doubles in the third put the Bears back on top, 3-2, but once again TCU had an answer. Austen Wade doubled with one out and moved to third on a Cam Warnerbase hit. Evan Skoug tied the game with a sacrifice fly. After Baker’s second hit of the game, Elliott Barzilli tripled to right field to put the Frogs on top, 5-3.

Mason Hesse helped the lead grow to four, 7-3, in the fourth. He tripled with two outs to drive in Dane Steinhagen and scored on a wild pitch.

Baylor pulled back within two, 7-5, on a two-run home run from Steven McLean in the sixth. With the tying run at the plate, Preston Guillory came on to record the final two outs.

The Frogs got the two runs back in the bottom of the sixth and added another to open up a 10-5 advantage. Hesse and Wade worked back-to-back walks to lead off the inning and a two-out double from Baker brought both runners home for a 9-5 lead. Watson’s RBI-single drove in Baker with the final run of the inning.

TCU brought the fireworks in the eighth as Skoug and Baker went back-to-back with towering home runs. Skoug’s career-high eighth home run cleared the right field fence, while Baker’s fifth nearly left the park in left field.

Dalton Brown pitched a scoreless eighth and Drew Gooch pitched around a lead-off walk in the ninth to close out the game. Sean Wymer (3-0) picked up the win in relief of Dalton Horton.

Stat of the Game
7
 — The TCU freshmen duo of Luken Baker and Josh Watson combined to go 7-for-8 with five RBIs in their first career postseason game.

Notes
• TCU improved to 32-0 when leading after eight innings.
• TCU improved to 17-9 when the opponent scores first.
• TCU played flawless defense for the 22nd time this season.
• TCU tallied double-digit runs for the 18th time this season.
• TCU has homered in 33 games this season.
• TCU has reached double-figures in hits 29 times this season.
• TCU has scored two or more runs in an inning 92 times this season.
• Luken Baker has reached base safely in 25 straight games.
• Luken Baker tallied his 18th career multi-hit game. He had a career-high five hits in the game.
• Luken Baker and Josh Watson collected their 14th career multiple-RBI game.
• Josh Watson notched his 15th career multi-hit game.
• Elliott Barzilli notched his 14th multiple-RBI game of the season and the 21st of his career.
• Elliott Barzilli collected his team-leading 24th multi-hit game of the season and the 39th of his career.
• Evan Skoug posted his 11th multiple-RBI game of the season and the 24th of his career.
• Cam Warner and Austen Wade posted their 16th career multi-hit game.
• Mason Hesse collected his sixth career multi-hit game.

Next Up
With the win, TCU improves to 39-14 overall. The Horned Frogs advance to Thursday night’s winner’s bracket contest against the winner of the Oklahoma State-Texas match-up. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and it will be televised on FCS.


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