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GoFrogs: TCU Rallies For 3-1 Victory Over Texas State

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TCU Rallies For 3-1 Victory Over Texas State

Frogs scored three times in the seventh

Final Stats

FORT WORTH, Texas - The 11th-ranked TCU Horned Frogs rallied from an early hole to post a 3-1 victory over Texas State Tuesday night to push their winning streak to three games. Aaron Schultz drove in the tying run as part of a 2-for-4 night at the plate. Trailing 1-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Frogs finally found a way to push across three runs as they took advantage of a big miscue with two outs in the frame.

Jimmie Pharr's second hit of the night with one out in the seventh got the ball rolling. Joe Weik drew a four-pitch walk to put two on with one out. Rivera beat out a potential double play ball to keep the inning alive and put runners on the corners. Schultz's bloop single to right allowed Pharr to score the tying run.

Taylor Featherston looked like he had given the Frogs the lead as he drove the ball up the middle, but an unlucky deflection off the umpire was ruled a dead ball and instead of the go-ahead run crossing the plate, the bases were loaded. Jason Coats hit a ground ball that the third baseman couldn't handle, which allowed two runs to cross the plate, giving TCU the 3-1 advantage.

Texas State had claimed the early 1-0 lead in the second inning. Kyle Kubitza walked to lead off the inning and stole second. With one out, he stole third. The throw down got away from the infield and Kubitza raced home with the first run of the game.

TCU had chances to tie the game, but twice saw the tying run cut down at the plate. In the fourth inning, Jantzen Witte singled with one out and moved to second on a wild pitch. Josh Elander lined a single up the middle, but the center fielder threw a strike to home plate, gunning out Witte as he tried to tie the game.

In the sixth, Featherston found himself standing on third base after a lead-off single. A wild pitch and a ground out moved the junior to third. Texas State brought the infield in and Witte bounced the ball right at the shortstop who threw home. Featherston stayed in the run down long enough to get Witte to second, but was eventually tagged out for the second out of the inning.

After a rocky second inning that saw the Bobcats take the lead, TCU starter Andrew Mitchell settled into a rhythm. He retired 11 of the final 14 batters he faced, allowing just three singles. The bullpen shut the door for the final three innings, paving the way for the Horned Frog comeback.

Mitchell got a no-decision in the TCU victory. He allowed one run on five hits in six innings of work. The freshman walked one and struck out three. Stefan Crichton (2-1) earned the win in relief as he retired all six batters he faced in two innings of work. Erik Miller pitched around a one-out walk in the ninth to tally his fifth save of the season.

The Frogs improve to 13-7 with the victory. The homestand continues this weekend when TCU hosts Houston in a three-game series beginning Friday night at 6:30 p.m. Kyle Winkler is expected to get the start for the Horned Frogs.

Game Quotes:
TCU Headcoach Jim Schlossnagle
On the win:
"I was really impressed with our pitching. I was really impressed with our hitters. I told our guys that it has been awhile since I have been as impressed as I was tonight, considering the conditions tonight. We had a lot of chances to fold, hit a lot of balls hard that didn't fall in. We had a chance to tie the game and the ball hits the umpire. It's a challenge, and our guys handled it well, better than I did. It is a really good win over a really good team, a team with the highest RPI in the state of Texas. It is way too early to talk about those things, but it is still a quality win."

On Aaron Schultz moving up in the batting order:
"Jantzen Witte has been our best RBI guy, but we are just trying to mix it up to a point. We moved Aaron Schultz up so (Witte) could have a chance to drive some runs in and (Schultz) has been swinging the bat pretty well since."

TCU Pitcher Stefan Crichton
On his performance:
"I am getting more accustomed to getting out on the mound. Hopefully the good performances keep coming. It is a big relief to know your team is behind you, it makes pitching so much easier when you can rely on your defense."

TCU Outfielder Aaron Schultz
On his go ahead hit in the seventh inning:
"I didn't even think it was going to drop, I was hoping the wind might blow in and knock it down. There was a good pitcher on the mound who had a good sinker and I was trying to get under the ball and not hit a grounder. I got jammed a little bit but luckily it fell in."

TCU Pitcher Andrew Mitchell
On his start:
"I felt a little shaky at first, just trying to get back into the starting groove after not starting for a couple weeks. I felt like after the first inning or two I was able to let the defense carry me, just focus on throwing strikes and getting outs."

Game Notes:
Andrew Mitchell's streak of not allowing an earned run came to an end at 24 innings after he surrendered a run in the second inning. However, the talented freshman has allowed just two earned runs in 29 innings pitched this season.
Aaron Schultz extended his hitting streak to six games with a base hit in the third inning. He finished the night 2-for-4.
Brance Rivera extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a bunt single in the fifth inning.
• TCU tallied its first win when trailing after six innings. The Frogs were previously 0-4 in that statistical category.
• All three of the Frogs' runs came with two outs in the inning. TCU has scored 43 two out runs this season.
Erik Miller is a perfect 5-for-5 in save opportunities this season.
 
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