Another Frog miracle: TCU scores five in ninth to tie, beats Texas A&M in 15th
TCU fell behind 5-0 in the first and trailed 10-5 in the bottom of the ninth against Texas A&M.
It was the No. 1-ranked Horned Frogs’ second game of the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic at Minute Maid Park.
No problem.
The Frogs scored five runs in the ninth to send the game to extra innings, and Ryan Merrill doubled to the warning track in right-center in the bottom of the 15th as the Frogs beat the Aggies 11-10.
Josh Watson started the 15th for the Frogs with a fly-ball single that dropped inside the right-field line. He was forced out at second on Nolan Brown’s fielder-choice grounder. Brown stole second and Cam Warner walked before Merrill delivered the game-winner.
The game ended at 1:57 a.m., the longest game in Minute Maid Park history.
The Frogs received five consecutive walks in the ninth inning to keep their hopes alive, scoring twice before Austin Ingraham’s single made it 10-8. With two outs, Elliott Barzilli singled, scoring Brown from third and Cam Warner scored from second after a throwing error to make it 10-10.
On Saturday ....
The Aggies scored five runs in the top of the first in a game that started more than an hour later than its 7:05 p.m. scheduled first pitch.
TCU freshman left-hander Nick Lodolo started and went only two-thirds of an inning. Lodolo, who was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 41st pick in the 2016 MLB Draft, gave up five runs, four of which were earned, on four hits.
Jake Eissler entered the game and pitched well in relief, allowing two runs on three hits in 4 1/3 innings of work, but faltered in the fifth inning when A&M built its lead to 7-1 with two runs.
Texas A&M scored its first run on a throwing error by catcher Evan Skoug.
Walker Pennington later followed with a three-run home run. Austin Homan’s single brought in another run.
TCU got a run back in the second when Luken Baker’s single to right field brought in Skoug.
In the sixth, TCU scored twice, with Cam Warner’s infield hit driving in a run,
The Frogs closed the gap in the seventh when Nolan Brown singled and two runs scored, helped by a throwing error against the Aggies.
TCU takes on Mississippi at 1:35 p.m. Sunday on the classic’s final day.
Other games
Texas Tech 5, Mississippi 1: The No. 10 Red Raiders (10-2) took down the No. 13 Rebels (7-3) for their first victory of the season against a ranked team. Tech left-hander Steven Gingery allowed just one run in a career-high eight innings. He struck out eight. Tech junior outfielder Tanner Gardner had a single and a double.
LSU 4, Baylor 0: Jared Poche pitched seven innings of three-hit ball as the Tigers bounced back from Friday’s 9-6 loss to the Frogs. Baylor had only five hits.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Shriners College Classic
No. 1 TCU vs. No. 13 Ole Miss, 1:35 p.m. Sunday (FSSW Plus)
This story was originally published March 5, 2017 at 2:06 AM with the headline "Another Frog miracle: TCU scores five in ninth to tie, beats Texas A&M in 15th."