Jayhawks Drop Conference Opener at TCU, 8-1

March 15, 2013

Final Stats

TCU 8, Kansas 1 Lupton Stadium//Fort Worth, Texas

Sophomore Michael Suiter extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a 2-for-3 night against TCU. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R KU 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 TCU 3 0 0 4 0 1 0 0 x 8 Box Score (.pdf) Leaders – Batting Kansas AB R H RBI BB HR M. Suiter 3 0 2 0 1 0 A. DeLeon 4 1 1 0 0 0 TCU AB R H RBI BB HR J. Witte 3 3 3 0 2 0 D. Odell 4 0 3 2 0 0 Pitching Kansas IP H R ER BB SO F. Duncan (L) 3.1 9 7 5 3 0 J. Mustain 2.0 4 1 1 1 0 D. Morovick 2.1 1 0 0 0 1 T. Watson 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 TCU IP H R ER BB SO P. Morrison (W) 7.2 4 1 1 1 5 T. Evans 1.1 1 0 0 1 2

FORT WORTH, Texas – TCU right-handed pitcher Preston Morrison held the Jayhawks to just one run on four hits over 7 2/3 innings, third baseman Jantzen Witte went 3-for-3 with three doubles and three runs scored as the Horned Frogs downed Kansas, 8-1, Friday night at Lupton Stadium in the Big 12 opener for both schools.

The Jayhawks snap their five-game winning streak and fall to 11-6 overall and 0-1 in Big 12 play, while the Frogs improve to 8-9 and 1-0 in the conference. It was TCU’s first baseball win in the Big 12 after moving to the league this offseason.

The Horned Frogs scored seven runs in the first four innings, backing the dominating start by Morrison. The junior right-handed pitcher went 7 2/3 innings and allowed one run on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts. After back-to-back singles by KU’s Alex DeLeon and Michael Suiter in the second inning, the TCU righty retired the next 13 men he faced.

Meanwhile, the Horned Frog offense handed Kansas starter Frank Duncan his second loss of the season. Duncan pitched just 3 1/3 innings – his shortest career start – and allowed five earned runs on nine hits with three walks and no strikeouts.

TCU scored three runs in the top of the first inning with the aid of an error. After an RBI double by right fielder Dylan Fitzgerald gave the home team a 1-0 lead, the Horned Frogs tacked on two more unearned runs after a throwing error extended the inning with two outs.

The Frogs put the game away in the fourth, scoring four times. Left fielder Boomer White, first baseman Kevin Cron and second baseman Derek Odell collected RBI singles, while TCU plated another run on a misplayed ball in center field.

Sophomore outfielder Michael Suiter led the Jayhawks with a pair of hits, giving him six-straight multi-hit games and 12-straight contests with at least one base hit. Suiter’s hitting streak is the longest by a Jayhawk since Jimmy Waters hit safely in 14 games during the 2011 season. The sophomore leads the Big 12 Conference with a .473 batting average this season.

Kansas pitching recorded just one strikeout in the game, the fewest since the Jayhawks collected a single strikeout against Kansas State on May 21, 2011.

The teams will play the second game of the three-game series on Saturday at 6:30 p.m., at Lupton Stadium. Fans can watch the game live on Fox College Sports Atlantic (Channel 144 on Knology Cable in Lawrence).

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