Chase Brunson homers, but TCU baseball strands 12 runners in a 10-2 loss to No. 1 UCLA as the Bruins erupt early in Los Angeles.
The bright lights of Los Angeles didn’t faze Chase Brunson. Unfortunately for TCU, the same couldn’t be said about the rest of the crew.
Top-ranked UCLA flexed its muscle Friday, rolling past No. 7 TCU 10-2 in the series opener. While Brunson provided a jolt with his first home run of the season - the 17th of his career - the Horned Frogs were left chasing shadows after a brutal early surge by the Bruins.
UCLA blew the game open in the second inning, capitalizing on traffic and delivering a back-breaking grand slam from Roch Chowlowsky.
By the time the dust settled, the Bruins had built a cushion that TCU never seriously threatened.
Two more runs in the third stretched the margin to seven, putting immediate pressure on a Frogs offense that simply couldn’t cash in.
And that was the story.
TCU left 12 runners on base, a stat that screams missed opportunity in any box score. The Frogs generated chances but lacked the timely hit to flip momentum.
Even when they loaded the bases in the ninth, the only damage came via a Lucas Franco walk that forced in Kyuss Gargett, who quietly notched his first multi-hit performance of the season.
Brunson’s solo shot to lead off the fourth briefly injected life into the dugout. The veteran has now reached base in all five games this year, matching Rob Liddington in consistency.
Sawyer Strosnider extended his on-base streak to 21 games dating back to last season, another encouraging sign in an otherwise frustrating night.
On the mound, Mason Brassfield (0-1) absorbed the loss after surrendering five runs in 1.2 innings.
The bullpen offered silver linings. Trever Baumler delivered 1 .2 scoreless frames, and Cole Eaton impressed in his collegiate debut with two shutout innings.
Still, against the nation’s No. 1 team, moral victories don’t count. TCU drops to 2-3 overall but remains 2-1 against ranked opponents in 2026.
Game 2 looms large Saturday at 4 p.m. CT, with Lance Davis set to start as the Frogs look to even the series and prove this one was a stumble ... not a statement.