Late-inning heroics propel TCU baseball over Vanderbilt. A thrilling comeback and clutch pitching secure a dramatic 5-4 victory.
ARLINGTON - No. 10 TCU baseball showed early-season grit Friday afternoon, storming back late to edge No. 23 Vanderbilt 5-4 at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
The Horned Frogs trailed 3-2 entering the eighth inning before dramatically flipping the script. Lucas Franco jumpstarted the rally with a one-out triple into the gap, then scored moments later when Cole Cramer laced a double to even the score.
After an intentional walk to Sawyer Strosnider and a wild pitch moved runners into scoring position, chaos followed.
On a dropped third strike, an errant throw by the Vanderbilt catcher allowed both Cramer and Strosnider to race home, giving TCU the decisive two-run cushion.
Vanderbilt didn’t go quietly, trimming the lead to 5-4 with a solo homer in the ninth. That’s when Walter Quinn took over.
The veteran reliever recorded the final two outs for his first save as a Horned Frog, striking out one and allowing just a single in two-thirds of an inning.
TCU’s power showed up early as well. Strosnider launched a solo home run in the first inning - his 12th career long ball - to put the Frogs on the board. Franco later added his first collegiate hit in style, a game-tying homer to right field in the sixth. He finished with TCU’s only multi-hit performance.
On the mound, Tommy LaPour worked five innings, allowing two runs while striking out five. Tanner Sagouspe (1-0) earned the win with two strong innings and four strikeouts, and the TCU pitching staff piled up 14 total punchouts.
With the victory, TCU improves to 1-0 and 21-10 all-time at Globe Life Field under head coach Kirk Saarloos. The Horned Frogs now turn their attention to No. 7 Arkansas on Saturday, looking to keep the momentum rolling.