No. 3 TCU rallies from 5 runs down to beat West Virginia
No. 3 TCU scored six runs in the final two innings to rally past West Virginia 8-6 on Saturday afternoon in a Big 12 baseball game.
Evan Skoug homered twice and the Horned Frogs (28-6, 9-2 Big 12) scored five runs with two outs in the eighth.
The victory kept the Frogs in sole possession of first place in the Big 12 over the now third-place Mountaineers (20-13, 7-4). On Friday the Frogs had rallied to tie 4-4 with three runs in the top of the ninth only to have West Virginia win it 5-4 in the ninth.
Saturday, TCU closer Durbin Feltman recorded a five-out save. He came on with one out in the eighth and got a strikeout and a groundout with a runner on second. He pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowing no runs, no hits and one walk.
The Frogs trailed 6-1 after four innings. Skoug homered in the sixth to make it 6-2.
In the top of the eighth, Austen Wade, Cam Warner and Skoug started with walks to load the bases. After Luken Baker grounded into a pitcher-to-home-to first double play, Josh Watson was hit by a pitch to reload the bases.
Nolan Brown followed with a two-run single to make it 6-4. Watson scored on a wild pitch for a 6-5 deficit. Ryan Merrill walked and he and Brown advanced on a wild pickoff attempt. Connor Wanhanen’s two-run double gave TCU its first lead, 7-6.
Skoug’s one-out home run gave the Frogs a two-run cushion going into the ninth.
The series finale is Sunday.
TCU | 000 | 101 | 051 | — 8 | 10 | 0 |
West Virginia | 122 | 100 | 000 | — 6 | 10 | 3 |
Lodolo, Morris (2), Boyles (5), Eissler (8), Feltman (8) and Skoug. Grove, Kearns (8), Sigman (8), Wood (8), McDonald (8), Strowd (8) and Gonzalez, Illig (7). W—Boyles (2-0). L—McDonald (1-2). SV—Feltman (9). 2B—TCU: Wanhanen (3); WVU: Cramer (9) HR—TCU: Skoug 2 (10), Davis (5); WVU: Galusky (3). HBP—TCU: Watson. SH—WVU: Gonzalez (5), Zitel (3). SB—TCU: Warner (6), Brown 3 (23), Hesse (3); WVU: White 2 (13). LOB—MSU 2, TCU 8. E—WVU: Gray (6), Galusky (9), McDonald (3). DP—WVU 2. T—3:38. A—3,415. RECORDS—TCU 28-6, 9-2 Big 12; WVU 20-13, 7-4.
This story was originally published April 15, 2017 at 7:23 PM with the headline "No. 3 TCU rallies from 5 runs down to beat West Virginia."