The Horned Frogs blast past No. 7 Arkansas as early offense and lights-out relief pitching seal a thrilling 5-4 victory.
ARLINGTON — If February baseball can have an Omaha feel, Saturday night at Globe Life Field delivered it.
No. 10 TCU outdueled No. 7 Arkansas 5-4 in a heavyweight matchup at the Shriners Children’s College Showdown, leaning on early offense from Chase Brunson and clutch relief pitching from Noah Franco to secure its second statement win of the weekend.
The Horned Frogs wasted no time setting the tone.
Brunson jump-started the offense with an RBI double in the first inning, bringing home Sawyer Strosnider for a quick 1-0 lead. Moments later, Rob Liddington Jr. lined a two-out single to left, plating Brunson and extending the advantage to 2-0.
TCU wasn’t done.
In the second, Brunson struck again, ripping another double down the left-field line to drive in two more runs. Cole Cramer added an RBI single in the fourth to give the Frogs a 5-1 cushion against an Arkansas squad ranked inside the Top 10 in multiple college baseball polls.
Mason Brassfield got the start for TCU and punched out six Razorbacks across four innings, allowing just one earned run. When Arkansas began to chip away - first on an infield RBI single from Maika Niu, then a two-run blast by Reese Robinett - head coach Kirk Saarloos turned to the bullpen.
Zack James bridged the middle innings, recording four strikeouts over two frames and helping steady the momentum. But the defining move came in the seventh when designated hitter Noah Franco grabbed a glove and took the mound.
Franco, who had started the game in the lineup, delivered three scoreless innings to close it out. The right-hander allowed no earned runs and struck out four, including a critical punchout of Cam Kozeal in the eighth with the tying run looming.
Arkansas made it interesting when Kuhio Aloy launched a towering 445-foot solo home run in the seventh to trim the deficit to one.
The Razorbacks even received five perfect innings in relief from Tate McGuire, but they couldn’t solve Franco late.
The Frogs’ bullpen composure, timely hitting, and early execution proved to be the difference in a game that felt more like June than mid-February.
With the victory, TCU continues to build momentum early in the 2026 college baseball season and reinforces its status as a legitimate College World Series contender.