TCU baseball rolls Houston, advances to face Kansas in Big 12 tournament
TCU baseball advanced to the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament and also moved step closer to hosting a regional during the NCAA Tournament with a 7-1 win over Houston Thursday night.
The lopsided affair featured plenty of highlights from the Horned Frogs including a masterpiece on the mound by Tommy LaPour and a number of record-setting performances by TCU’s hitters.
“I was proud of how we played, we pitched it well. Tommy did a great job,” TCU head coach Kirk Sarloos said. “We got some timely hitting.”
Big 12 Freshman of the Year Sawyer Strosnider got things started early for the Horned Frogs with a triple in the first inning, which set a new single season program record. Cole Cramer would drive Strosnider for the first of his three RBIs.
The second inning would prove to be the decisive stretch for TCU. Cramer drove in two more Horned Frogs with a single that opened a commanding 3-0 lead.
Noah Franco followed Cramer’s efforts by driving in two more runs with a single. Franco also had a home run for the third straight game with a solo homer that put TCU ahead 6-0.
While TCU was starting hot at the plate, LaPour shut down a Houston lineup that scored nine runs in the Cougars’ upset win over Kansas State Wednesday.
LaPour struck out six hitters and only allowed two hits in just over six innings on the mound. The ace pitcher exited the game to a standing ovation.
The only downside to TCU’s blowout win was the suspension of Colton Griffin. Griffin was hit by a pitch early in the game and tossed his bat toward the Houston catcher and umpire.
Griffin was ejected during the play due to saying an expletive after the pitch hit him in the elbow. The ejection means Griffin will miss the semifinals against the Jayhawks.
The Horned Frogs improved to 38-17 on the season and will face No. 2 seed Kansas at 7:30 p.m. Friday. TCU swept the Jayhawks in a three-game series in mid-April at Lupton Field and will look to pick up a fourth straight win against a Kansas team that has won six straight games.
This story was originally published May 23, 2025 at 12:23 AM.
