TCU baseball scored 12 runs Friday night, but a late Kansas State rally handed the Horned Frogs a 13-12 walk-off loss in a back-and-forth Big 12 opener.
FORT WORTH - TCU baseball did more than enough at the plate Friday night to win a Big 12 road game.
It just couldn’t finish the job on the mound. The Horned Frogs piled up 12 runs and 11 hits in Manhattan, but Kansas State answered every punch and eventually walked off TCU for a 13-12 win in a game that swung wildly all night.
The loss dropped TCU to 18-11 overall and 5-5 in Big 12 play, and it stung because the Frogs held multiple leads, including a 12-10 edge in the seventh inning. Instead, Kansas State tied it again and then turned a leadoff walk in the ninth into the winning run.
There was plenty to like offensively for TCU.
Cole Cramer led the charge with four hits, matching his career high, while Chase Brunson continued his strong season with a home run, two hits and a milestone night that included his 100th career RBI.
Noah Franco also delivered, finishing with multiple hits and three RBI, and Kyuss Gargett added two hits and two RBI.
TCU came out hot with a three-run first inning, then kept responding after Kansas State surged ahead.
The Frogs erased an 8-5 deficit in the fourth, grabbed the lead again in the fifth, and appeared to regain control when Brunson’s opposite-field homer sparked a two-run sixth. Later, doubles from Cramer and Brunson helped tack on another insurance run in the seventh. It still wasn’t enough.
The real difference came down to missed opportunities and late-game execution.
TCU stranded 11 runners, while Kansas State left only six. The Wildcats also did major damage with two outs, a big reason they stayed alive long enough to steal the opener.
Now the Frogs have to reset quickly. In a game where the offense was good enough to win, letting one slip away like this makes Saturday feel even bigger.
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