If TCU is to survive in College Station Regional, Frogs will need a 10-year flashback
The last time TCU baseball played in a College Station Regional the Horned Frogs won it the hard way.
They’ll need a repeat performance 10 years later if they want their 2022 season to continue.
Louisiana beat TCU 7-6 Friday at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park.
The Frogs (36-21) face Oral Roberts (38-19) in an elimination game at noon Saturday.
The Golden Eagles lost their opener to host and No. 5 national seed Texas A&M 8-2 in Friday’s early game. The Aggies (38-18) and Ragin’ Cajuns (37-21) play at 6 p.m. Saturday in the winner’s bracket.
TCU head coach Kirk Saarloos will be back in the dugout for Saturday’s game after serving the second of his two-game suspension by the NCAA for “excessive expression” after a balk was called in their elimination game in the Big 12 tournament last week.
Right-hander Marcelo Perez was scheduled to start Saturday for the Frogs but acting TCU coach Bill Mosiello said that could change. If TCU wins Saturday, it plays Saturday’s loser between Louisiana and A&M at 1 p.m. Sunday.
“We are playing to win this thing. The goal is to have a chance to win it, not just get there. You have to take some chances; you have to go a little deeper into the bullpen and pitch somebody who is a lower guy to get to the next game,” Mosiello said.
The Frogs had two on with two outs in the ninth but Brayden Taylor grounded out to second on a full count to end the game.
TCU trailed 3-0 after a two-run homer by Will Veillon and solo homer by Lafleur off Cornelio against starter Riley Cornelio in the second. Cornelio regrouped, however, and pitched into the sixth. He allowed five earned runs on three hits and five walks in 5 2/3 innings.
Tommy Sacco’s two-out, two-run homer pulled the Horned Frogs to within 3-2 in the third and Kurtis Byrne’s two-run single in the fifth gave the Frogs a 4-3 lead.
Louisiana reclaimed the lead with two runs in the sixth and an unearned run on a throwing error to first on a slow roller by third baseman Brayden Taylor.
Another throwing error by TCU in the eighth allowed Louisiana to add a huge insurance run. It loomed large because TCU scored a run on a misplayed ball in right field in the bottom of the inning to make it 7-6.
In 2012, TCU lost its opener in the College Station Regional to Ole Miss before winning four consecutive games and advancing to the Super Regional round against UCLA.
Saarloos was hired by former TCU head coach Jim Schlossnagle 10 days after the UCLA series. Schlossnagle left TCU last year for Texas A&M after
This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 10:49 PM.
