TCU baseball lost 4-3 to Arizona on Friday night after the Wildcats pushed across the go-ahead run in the ninth inning at Lupton Stadium.
TCU baseball let a winnable game slip away Friday night, falling 4-3 to Arizona after the Wildcats scratched across the deciding run in the ninth inning at Lupton Stadium.
The loss dropped the Horned Frogs to 20-13 overall and 7-6 in Big 12 play as they missed a chance to open the series with a key home win.
For most of the night, TCU pitching gave the Horned Frogs every opportunity to stay in control. Trever Baumler started and worked four innings, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out three.
After that, Mason Brassfield was outstanding in relief. The right-hander went five innings, gave up just one run on four hits and piled up nine strikeouts, keeping Arizona from breaking the game open.
The problem for TCU was that Arizona’s staff was just as sharp. The two teams combined for 27 strikeouts in a game filled with missed chances and high-stress at-bats.
Arizona grabbed the first run in the second inning, but TCU answered right away. Chase Brunson opened the frame with a hit, Noah Franco followed with a double, and Brady Dallimore brought home the tying run with a groundout.
From there, Arizona built a 3-1 lead with runs in the fourth and fifth innings, forcing the Horned Frogs to play from behind deep into the game.
TCU finally delivered in the seventh. Nolan Traeger came through with a two-out RBI single to cut the deficit to one, and Kyuss Gargett followed with a run-scoring hit up the middle to even the score at 3-3.
That set the stage for a tense ninth inning, but Arizona took advantage first.
A leadoff walk, a base hit and a sacrifice bunt put the Wildcats in position, and a sacrifice fly gave them the lead for good.
TCU still made one last push in the bottom half. Traeger doubled and Gargett reached, giving the Horned Frogs hope, but Arizona escaped the jam with its 15th strikeout of the night.
Brunson extended his hitting streak to six games, while Franco and Traeger each added multi-hit performances. TCU will try to bounce back Saturday in a doubleheader.
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