TopFrog
Lifelong Frog
http://gofrogs.cstv..../032711aac.html
TCU Takes Series Victory With 9-1 Win
Frogs score seven times in second inning
Final Stats
FORT WORTH, Texas - A seven-run second inning propelled the TCU Horned Frogs to a 9-1 victory over Houston Sunday afternoon at Lupton Stadium. Aaron Schultz highlighted the inning with his second career grand slam.
Steven Maxwell pitched six innings to improve to 3-0 on the season. Steven Maxwell (3-0) allowed a run on three hits in six innings of work. He walked five and tied his career-high with 10 strikeouts in the game. Stefan Crichton tossed two scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and struck out three. Andrew Mitchell pitched a scoreless ninth inning, allowing a hit and striking out one.
TCU exploded for seven runs on four hits in the second inning to open up a big lead. The first nine batters reached in the frame and chased Cougar starter Codey Morehouse from the contest.
Jantzen Witte started the inning with a walk and moved to third on a base hit off the bat of Jerome Pena. Joe Weik gave the Frogs a 1-0 lead with a base knock. Zac Jordan followed with a two-run triple to make it a 3-0 contest. A walk to Jimmie Pharr followed by Brance Rivera getting hit by the pitch loaded the bases. Aaron Schultz cleared them with a grand slam to straight away center field for the 7-0 lead.
Maxwell kept the Cougars off balance for most of the game, pitching out of a couple jams to hold them off the scoreboard. In the second, he pitched around a pair of walks to keep the game scoreless. He stranded two more baserunners in the third with a strikeout to end the frame.
The defense came up big for the Frogs in the fourth inning as the Cougars looked poised to push across a pair of runs. M.P. Cokinos doubled to lead off the inning, but Maxwell made a head's up play on a ball hit right back to him, gunning out Cokinos at third for the first out of the inning. A two-out walk put two. Ryan Still drove a ball to straight away center field, but Schultz made a full out diving catch to end the inning and keep it a 7-0 contest.
In the fifth, the Cougars were finally able to push across a run to make it a 7-1 game. Back-to-back walks with two outs set the table for an RBI single off the bat of Cokinos. Another defensive gem in the outfield, this time by Rivera who made a shoestring catch on a sinking fly ball to end the inning, kept it a six-run TCU advantage.
The Frogs tacked on a pair of runs in the ninth to extend their lead to 9-1. Down to his last chance to extend his hitting streak, Rivera dumped a double into right field to open the inning. He moved to third on a ground out and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Taylor Featherston. Coats unloaded for his fourth home run of the season to cap the Frogs' run output.
TCU improves to 15-8 on the season. The Frogs will continue their homestand Tuesday night when they host Stephen F. Austin. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m. Erik Miller will make his first start of the season for the Frogs.
Postgame Quotes:
TCU Headcoach JimSchlossnagle
On the win and the series win:
"Today's win makes me feel a lot more comfortable. Considering how we lost on Friday and the comeback on Saturday, today was the most complete game for us. I would like us to be more offensive in the middle innings. But they did a good job of keeping us on our front foot and getting us to hit the ball in the air. I thought Steven (Maxwell) was as good as he has been all year at times, Stefan (Crichton) and Andrew Mitchell were excellent as well."
On Aaron Schultz's performance:
"He has been a tremendous program player for us. He was highly recruited, but in his first game freshman year against Cal-State Fullerton we had him hitting fifth in the lineup only because we were afraid to bat him third. We thought that highly of him at that time. He came in as an infielder, but we were wondering if he might be able to play some left field. We stuck him in left that first game freshman year, and to see him transform into a great player and a great centerfielder is nothing short of amazing. It isn't his natural position; he really isn't the fastest guy out here. But he has great instincts, takes great routes, studies opposing batters and scouting reports. It is just something about being a baseball player that allows him to be successful."
TCU Pitcher Steven Maxwell
On his performance:
"I was able to stay warm in the dugout between innings, so that wasn't a big issue. I had some problems locating my fastball in early in the game but luckily I had my breaking pitch and my changeup working for me today so it ended up working out."
TCU Outfielder Aaron Schultz
On his grand slam and diving catch:
"With less than two outs and bases loaded I was just trying to not hit the ball on the ground. I really just wanted to get something in the air to get a sacrifice RBI and extend the lead. I got down two strikes and just started to battle him. He left a changeup right there, I put a good swing on it, and it went over the fence. It felt good.
On his play in the outfield:
"I think the biggest thing is getting a good jump, being ready to go in any direction each pitch. Coach Randy Mazey always teaches us to anticipate and be ready for balls in play in any direction. When that ball was hit in the air I just wanted to get a good jump on it, I felt good getting to it, but it just kept going so I had to dive; luckily I caught it."
Game Notes:
• Brance Rivera pushed his hitting streak to 23 games with a double in the eighth inning. He now has the longest hitting streak under head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
• Aaron Schultz extended his hitting streak to nine games with a base hit in the first inning.
• Schultz's grand slam in the second inning was the second of his career. He hit a grand slam at New Mexico on May 9, 2010.
• Zac Jordan collected his first career triple in the second inning.
• The series attendance was 13,222 (4,723 - Friday; 4,489 - Saturday, 4,010 - Sunday). That mark is the third highest in stadium history.
• Steven Maxwell's 10 strikeouts in the game ties his career high set against Baylor in the 2010 NCAA Fort Worth Regional on June 5.
TCU Takes Series Victory With 9-1 Win
Frogs score seven times in second inning
Final Stats
FORT WORTH, Texas - A seven-run second inning propelled the TCU Horned Frogs to a 9-1 victory over Houston Sunday afternoon at Lupton Stadium. Aaron Schultz highlighted the inning with his second career grand slam.
Steven Maxwell pitched six innings to improve to 3-0 on the season. Steven Maxwell (3-0) allowed a run on three hits in six innings of work. He walked five and tied his career-high with 10 strikeouts in the game. Stefan Crichton tossed two scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and struck out three. Andrew Mitchell pitched a scoreless ninth inning, allowing a hit and striking out one.
TCU exploded for seven runs on four hits in the second inning to open up a big lead. The first nine batters reached in the frame and chased Cougar starter Codey Morehouse from the contest.
Jantzen Witte started the inning with a walk and moved to third on a base hit off the bat of Jerome Pena. Joe Weik gave the Frogs a 1-0 lead with a base knock. Zac Jordan followed with a two-run triple to make it a 3-0 contest. A walk to Jimmie Pharr followed by Brance Rivera getting hit by the pitch loaded the bases. Aaron Schultz cleared them with a grand slam to straight away center field for the 7-0 lead.
Maxwell kept the Cougars off balance for most of the game, pitching out of a couple jams to hold them off the scoreboard. In the second, he pitched around a pair of walks to keep the game scoreless. He stranded two more baserunners in the third with a strikeout to end the frame.
The defense came up big for the Frogs in the fourth inning as the Cougars looked poised to push across a pair of runs. M.P. Cokinos doubled to lead off the inning, but Maxwell made a head's up play on a ball hit right back to him, gunning out Cokinos at third for the first out of the inning. A two-out walk put two. Ryan Still drove a ball to straight away center field, but Schultz made a full out diving catch to end the inning and keep it a 7-0 contest.
In the fifth, the Cougars were finally able to push across a run to make it a 7-1 game. Back-to-back walks with two outs set the table for an RBI single off the bat of Cokinos. Another defensive gem in the outfield, this time by Rivera who made a shoestring catch on a sinking fly ball to end the inning, kept it a six-run TCU advantage.
The Frogs tacked on a pair of runs in the ninth to extend their lead to 9-1. Down to his last chance to extend his hitting streak, Rivera dumped a double into right field to open the inning. He moved to third on a ground out and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Taylor Featherston. Coats unloaded for his fourth home run of the season to cap the Frogs' run output.
TCU improves to 15-8 on the season. The Frogs will continue their homestand Tuesday night when they host Stephen F. Austin. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m. Erik Miller will make his first start of the season for the Frogs.
Postgame Quotes:
TCU Headcoach JimSchlossnagle
On the win and the series win:
"Today's win makes me feel a lot more comfortable. Considering how we lost on Friday and the comeback on Saturday, today was the most complete game for us. I would like us to be more offensive in the middle innings. But they did a good job of keeping us on our front foot and getting us to hit the ball in the air. I thought Steven (Maxwell) was as good as he has been all year at times, Stefan (Crichton) and Andrew Mitchell were excellent as well."
On Aaron Schultz's performance:
"He has been a tremendous program player for us. He was highly recruited, but in his first game freshman year against Cal-State Fullerton we had him hitting fifth in the lineup only because we were afraid to bat him third. We thought that highly of him at that time. He came in as an infielder, but we were wondering if he might be able to play some left field. We stuck him in left that first game freshman year, and to see him transform into a great player and a great centerfielder is nothing short of amazing. It isn't his natural position; he really isn't the fastest guy out here. But he has great instincts, takes great routes, studies opposing batters and scouting reports. It is just something about being a baseball player that allows him to be successful."
TCU Pitcher Steven Maxwell
On his performance:
"I was able to stay warm in the dugout between innings, so that wasn't a big issue. I had some problems locating my fastball in early in the game but luckily I had my breaking pitch and my changeup working for me today so it ended up working out."
TCU Outfielder Aaron Schultz
On his grand slam and diving catch:
"With less than two outs and bases loaded I was just trying to not hit the ball on the ground. I really just wanted to get something in the air to get a sacrifice RBI and extend the lead. I got down two strikes and just started to battle him. He left a changeup right there, I put a good swing on it, and it went over the fence. It felt good.
On his play in the outfield:
"I think the biggest thing is getting a good jump, being ready to go in any direction each pitch. Coach Randy Mazey always teaches us to anticipate and be ready for balls in play in any direction. When that ball was hit in the air I just wanted to get a good jump on it, I felt good getting to it, but it just kept going so I had to dive; luckily I caught it."
Game Notes:
• Brance Rivera pushed his hitting streak to 23 games with a double in the eighth inning. He now has the longest hitting streak under head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
• Aaron Schultz extended his hitting streak to nine games with a base hit in the first inning.
• Schultz's grand slam in the second inning was the second of his career. He hit a grand slam at New Mexico on May 9, 2010.
• Zac Jordan collected his first career triple in the second inning.
• The series attendance was 13,222 (4,723 - Friday; 4,489 - Saturday, 4,010 - Sunday). That mark is the third highest in stadium history.
• Steven Maxwell's 10 strikeouts in the game ties his career high set against Baylor in the 2010 NCAA Fort Worth Regional on June 5.
