Not again: TCU suffers second straight walk-off loss to Sooners
Fifth-ranked TCU suffered its second walk-off defeat in two days Sunday, missing the chance to clinch the Big 12 regular-season baseball title.
Oklahoma’s Austin O’Brien singled off TCU reliever Sean Wymer with one out in the ninth inning to score pinch runner Kyler Murray from third base and give the 24th-ranked Sooners a 10-9 victory.
TCU dropped to 36-13 overall and finished the Big 12 season 16-8. Texas Tech is 13-8 in the Big 12 and can tie the Horned Frogs with a three-game sweep of Kansas beginning Thursday. Texas Tech won its series against TCU two games to one.
Put in jeopardy by the weekend’s strange twists are the top seed in the Big 12 tournament (May 24-28) and one of eight national seeds in the NCAA tournament.
Trailing 7-0 after three innings, the Frogs battled back to take a 9-8 lead in the top of the sixth on Zach Humphreys’ two-run homer.
Oklahoma, however, rallied to tie the score 9-9 in the bottom of the sixth. Ben Hollas’ leadoff double started the game-winning rally for Oklahoma (34-18, 12-9). Murray, also a Sooners quarterback after his transfer from Texas A&M, pinch-ran.
It was not a good weekend despite a 9-6 victory Friday. The Horned Frogs lost the services of slugging first baseman Luken Baker to a severe arm injury late in Friday’s game and then suffered a 9-8 walk-off defeat Saturday on Renae Martinez’s three-run homer in the ninth.
TCU is expected to learn more about Baker’s injury on Monday.
Oklahoma struck quickly against Frogs starter Mitchell Traver, with O’Brien unloading a three-run homer and Brylie Ware adding a solo shot in a four-run first inning.
In the third, O’Brien’s RBI single chased Traver from the game, and Ware’s second home run, a two-run shot off reliever Jake Eissler, made it 7-0.
TCU scored four in the fourth, three in the fifth (two on Evan Skoug’s home run) and two in the sixth for the 9-8 lead.
The Frogs scored in the fourth on a walk and a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded and Michael Landestoy’s two-run single.
TCU | 000 | 432 | 000 | — | 9 | 9 | 0 |
Oklahoma | 403 | 101 | 001 | — | 10 | 12 | 0 |
One out, two runners left on base when winning run scored.
Traver, Eissler (3), King (5), Wymer (8) and Skoug. Tyler, Fink (5), Madden (5), Berry (6), Olson (8) and Martinez. W—Olson (5-1). L—Wymer (4-3). 2B—TCU: Humphreys (2); OU: Harris (2), Hollas 2 (11), Walker (13), Ware (9). HR—TCU: Humphreys (2), Skoug (14); OU: O’Brien (8), Ware 2 (5). HBP—TCU: Merrill; OU: Walker. SH—OU: Martinez (3). CS—OU: Zaragoza (3). LOB—TCU 5; OU: 6. DP—TCU: 1; OU: 2. T—3:35. A—1,379. RECORDS—TCU 36-13, 16-8 Big 12; OU: 34-18, 12-9.
This story was originally published May 14, 2017 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Not again: TCU suffers second straight walk-off loss to Sooners."