No. 6 TCU Blanks Kansas, 8-0
Box Score Final Box (.pdf)
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LAWRENCE, Kan. – After a pregame ceremony honoring the 2006 Big 12 Tournament champions, Kansas was unable to overcome hearty pitching from No. 6 TCU, falling 8-0 in the second game of the series Saturday evening at Hoglund Ballpark.
KU (12-17, 2-5 Big 12) had its chance to take an early lead on the Horned Frogs (23-7, 5-3 Big 12), but a timely throw to get leadoff hitter Joe Moroney out at the plate to end the opening frame stunned the Jayhawks who were never able to recover.
“(TCU starter Dalton Horton) was pretty dominant. He completely shut us down offensively,” head coach Ritch Price said. “He went out there like a freshman today and we had a chance to score in the first and got thrown out at the dish – the kid made a great throw and a great tag. From that point on, Horton (5-1) settled in and got better as the game went on.”
Junior centerfielder Joven Afenir was the only Jayhawk to tally multiple hits after a 2-for-4 performance from the plate with consecutive singles in back-to-back appearances. Aside from Afenir, TCU kept the KU bats in check, allowing only six hits.
Horton tossed seven innings, surrendering just five hits and walking two. Reliever Preston Guillory appeared for two innings of scoreless relief, giving up one hit.
Kansas starter Blake Weiman (1-3) battled through five and 1/3 innings, giving up nine hits and four runs. He opened the game with a one-two-three inning on 11 pitches, but struggled to command his pitches after that.
“Weiman was in trouble in every single inning but the first,” Price said. “The game could have gotten out of hand – how about the four-hit inning TCU had. We turned the five-unassisted-two double play and limited it to one run and at that point I thought we still had a chance. At the same time, we walked way too many guys and hit too many guys when you are facing a lineup as tough as that one. Before it was over they beat up the backend of our bullpen.”
In the home-half of the first, Moroney reached first on an error and was bunted over to second. Junior catcher Michael Tinsley drove a liner to right field when Moroney was thrown out at the plate.
TCU scored first in the second inning, but a sliding catch by Moroney with two runners on base kept the score close, 1-0, in favor of the Horned Frogs.
The 1-0 affair ensued into TCU’s half of the fourth inning when Weiman walked the leadoff batter. TCU center fielder Dane Steinhagen doubled down the right field line scoring TCU’s second run. The Horned Frogs tacked on two more runs on an error and took a 4-0 lead.
Kansas had its chance to bring runs across in the bottom of the eighth trailing, 6-0, when it put runners on second and third, but as had happened all night, a timely foul out for TCU ended the Jayhawks’ chance of getting on the board.
TCU tacked on two more runs in the ninth inning to round out the score, 8-0, in the second game of the series.
The Jayhawks will take the field for the rubber match contest against the Horned Frogs Sunday at Hoglund Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m., and fans can either watch live on the Jayhawk Television Network (JTV) or tune in on the Jayhawk Radio Network via KUAthletics.com/Radio. For more information at JTV visit KUAthletics.com/JTV.
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