Jayhawks Drop Opener to No. 1 TCU, 8-2
Feb. 18, 2011
Box Score in PDF Format 
FORT WORTH, Texas –
Top-ranked TCU used four walks, two hits and an error to score five runs in the bottom of the first and held on to down Kansas, 8-2, Friday night in the season opener for both teams.
The Jayhawks drop their season-opening game for the second-straight year after falling 3-1 to Eastern Michigan in the first contest of 2010.
Kansas senior Jimmy Waters led the team going 2-for-4 with a run scored, while relief pitcher Nolan Mansfield pitched four scoreless innings to end the game.
TCU scored five runs in the first and three in the third to foil the Jayhawks. The key play in the first inning came on a hard-hit ground ball with the bases loaded. After a walk and a strike out to open the game, Kansas starting pitcher T.J. Walz walked three in a row to give the Horned Frogs a 1-0 lead.
TCU third baseman Jantzen Witte hit a ground ball that KU short stop Brandon Macias stopped and threw to second to start a double play. However, the throw was late and then Kaiana Eldredge’s ensuing throw hit the base runner and bounded into right field and score two more runs for a 4-0 lead.
Walz was wild in Friday’s game, walking four and hitting two. Both of his hit batsmen came with two strikes. TCU finally chased the Jayhawk starter after three-straight hits with two outs in the third.
That was more than enough support for TCU starter Matt Purke. The sophomore starter allowed just one hit over four innings to earn his first win of the season.
KU scored its runs on a triple by Jake Marasco and a wild pitch in the fifth and a double by Waters and two sacrifices in the seventh.
The Jayhawks will look to bounce back Saturday in game two of the series, beginning at 2 p.m. at Lupton Stadium.
