No. 11 TCU lets season opener slip away against Loyola Marymount
TCU’s young baseball team welcomed Loyola Marymount to Lupton Stadium for the 2016 season opener, but the Horned Frogs were far too hospitable to their guests Friday.
TCU, ranked No. 11 in the USA Today coaches poll, surrendered six stolen bases, including three in a three-run third, and the Frogs committed two errors in the eighth and ninth innings that allowed the go-ahead run and another in a 5-3 loss in front of a home crowd of 5,116.
“We gave up too many free bases,” TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “The inability to manage the run game was disappointing, but in terms of the first game for a young team against a very good pitcher, I was pretty proud.”
I thought our at-bats were really, really good against a good pitcher … a guy going 92, 96 mph the first few innings.
TCU baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle on Loyola Marymount starter Blake Redman
TCU right-hander Jared Janczak took the loss in relief, his only splotch in 3 1/3 innings an unearned run in the eighth. The redshirt freshman from Belton gave up one hit, a leadoff single in the eighth to Phil Caulfield, who advanced to second on a bunt.
Caulfield scored on an error by first baseman Connor Wanhanen, who couldn’t cleanly field a hard-hit ball off the bat of Spencer Erdman.
Right-hander Blake Redman earned the victory for Loyola, working 3 1/3 innings in relief of J.D. Busfield, a former reliever who struck out five of TCU’s first 11 hitters and found his spots with a changeup.
TCU freshman left fielder Josh Watson of Arlington Martin had the Frogs’ first hit of the season in the second, the first of his three in four at-bats. His triple in the sixth and subsequent run scored on a Loyola catcher Cassidy Brown’s throwing error tied the game at 3-all.
The bottom of the TCU order was 4 for 12, including junior college transfer Ryan Merrill’s two-run double in the fourth that cut into a three-run deficit.
“I thought our at-bats were really, really good against a good pitcher … a guy going 92, 96 mph the first few innings,” said Schlossnagle, who termed Watson’s debut “outstanding.”
A miscommunication in the eighth might have illustrated the potential for early pitfalls with a lineup card that featured five freshmen and sophomores and three junior-college transfers. The mishap also might have cost the Frogs a run.
Down one with one out, the Frogs put Watson, who led off the inning with a single, and Dane Steinhagen, who was 2 for 4, at the corners. However, Watson was caught off third when Merrill put down what at first glance appeared to be a called safety squeeze.
It was a missed sign, Schlossnagle said.
“Ryan thought he saw” a sign, Schlossnagle said. “It wasn’t there … no sign.”
A flyout to center ended the threat.
TCU left-handed starter Rex Hill, a transfer from San Jacinto Junior College, took a no-decision after giving up three runs on five hits and seven strikeouts over 4 1/3 innings.
Hill threw a lot of pitches, but struck out the side in the first while giving up a run on two hits.
Austin Miller, who had three of Loyola’s stolen bases, led off the game with a single and stole second and third.
With two outs, Jamey Smart drove a ball past Baker at first to drive in the first run of the game.
TCU vs. Loyola Marymount
2 p.m. today
1 p.m. Sunday
This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 10:57 PM with the headline "No. 11 TCU lets season opener slip away against Loyola Marymount."