Janczak looks good again, helps TCU avoid Big 12 elimination
TCU became a “much better club” Thursday. Jared Janczak pitched Thursday.
It’s simple math for coach Jim Schlossnagle, who watched the sophomore from Belton spin five scoreless innings to get the Horned Frogs rolling in a 9-4 victory against Oklahoma in an elimination game at the Big 12 tournament at Bricktown Ballpark.
“We’re obviously a much better club when he’s healthy and pitching for us,” Schlossnagle said. “That’s a good confidence booster for our guys.”
Especially after Wednesday, when the Frogs’ bullpen surrendered four runs late in a loss to Kansas that sent them to the elimination bracket.
The bullpen gave up four runs late again, but by then, the Frogs were comfortably ahead with a nine-run lead thanks to Janczak’s five innings, in which he gave up three hits, a walk and struck out eight, and Charles Kings’ three scoreless relief innings.
The Horned Frogs (40-15) will play another elimination game at 7 p.m. Friday against the loser of Thursday’s late game between Kansas and Texas.
Janczak (8-0) delivered a second strong outing since coming back from a shoulder strain that sidelined him for four weeks. In eight shutout innings since becoming healthy, he has struck out 12 and walked one.
“I felt about the same,” he said. “Try to take each start the same. I was a little more amped up, I guess, because I was so excited to pitch because I was sitting out for a month.”
In his only troublesome inning, Janczak got a fly ball to end the fifth after a pair of two-out base hits. But that was a 26-pitch inning and probably cost him a chance to pitch into the sixth.
He finished with 77 pitches after throwing 27 in three innings last week.
“He threw a few more pitches than we wanted him to throw,” Schlossnagle said. “We wanted to keep him closer to 70 or 65. But he said he felt good. Good springboard into the NCAA tournament for him next week.”
Evan Skoug’s RBI double in the seventh inning gave TCU a 5-0 lead and gave him a hit in each of his nine career Big 12 tournament games. It was his 10th RBI in conference tournament play.
Left fielder Josh Watson hit an RBI double in the second inning, and he saved a run with a leaping catch at the wall in the fourth inning.
Austen Wade drove in a run with an infield hit off pitcher Jake Irvin’s leg, and Zach Humphreys walked with the bases loaded for his third RBI of the tournament.
Elliott Barzilli singled to drive in a run in the seventh inning, making him 5-for-8 in the tournament.
The Frogs finished with 11 hits and nine players scoring a run. They have scored 72 runs in Janczak’s 11 starts this season.
“We have a lot of confidence in him,” Barzilli said. “We know he’s going to keep it close for us, and it kind of takes the pressure off of us in the lineup.”
Carlos Mendez: 817-390-7760, @calexmendez
Oklahoma | 000 | 000 | 004 | — 4 | 7 | 1 |
TCU | 030 | 001 | 32x | — 9 | 11 | 0 |
Irvin, Berry (6), Olson (7), Grove (8) and Martinez, DeRenzo (8); Janczak, King (6), Boyles (9), Eissler (9), Feltman (9) and Skoug. W—Janczak (8-0). L—Irvin (6-2). Sv—Feltman (15). 2B—TCU: Brewster (5), Skoug (7), Watson (9). HBP—OU: O’Brien. SH—TCU: Brown (1). SB—TCU: Brown (26), Merrill (15), Watson (5). LOB—OU: 9; TCU: 8. E—OU: Zaragoza (6). T—3:34. A—3,493. RECORDS—OU 34-22; TCU: 40-15.
No. 6 TCU vs. Texas or Kansas
7 p.m. Friday, FSSW
This story was originally published May 25, 2017 at 4:22 PM with the headline "Janczak looks good again, helps TCU avoid Big 12 elimination."