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Houston Chronicle: Early blast propels TCU to sweep

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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports...on/6954340.html

[SIZE=14pt]Early blast propels TCU to sweep[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Cougars can't contain Frogs' potent bats[/SIZE]

By JASON McDANIEL
For the Chronicle

There's no telling how good TCU's Aaron Schultz, a Spring native, would be if he still played here.

Schultz has three home runs this season — all of them in Houston. His second against UH, an early three-run blast, sent TCU to a 12-2 win and series sweep Sunday at Cougar Field.

"TCU has an outstanding pitching staff, and you cannot be falling behind too far too early," Houston coach Rayner Noble said. "It's hard to overcome a three-run homer right there."

Schultz came in hitting .276 but went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in the opener. His first long ball this season was at Minute Maid Park in the Houston College Classic.

Quite the homecoming
The sophomore's third home run gave the Horned Frogs a 3-0 advantage in the second, dealing a brutal blow to the Cougars' hopes of salvaging something from the series. He added a triple and scored in the fourth for a 5-1 lead and finished 3-for-5.

Noble changed his lineup, even giving pitcher William Kankel, a former outfielder, his first start at DH, and it sort of worked. The Cougars' leadoff man reached base the first four innings.

But UH plated just one run on M.P. Cokinos' double in the second for a 3-1 deficit. The Cougars were caught in two double plays and a steal during that span, keeping them from scoring more.

"The whole weekend was one where we just didn't take advantage of the opportunities that were in front us," Noble said.

Jason Coats' fourth homer of the series and second of three Sunday gave No. 12 TCU an 8-1 advantage in the seventh, and the rout was on.

"That's what a good hitter does when he gets poor pitches," Noble said. "(Coats) deposited them all out there on the street, so he had a good game today."

A forgettable weekend
The Cougars (13-17) were outhit 13-5 on Sunday and 39-18 for the series and managed just four runs in three games. TCU had 33.

Michael Goodnight (4-4) took the loss after allowing six runs (five earned) on five hits in five innings. Steven Maxwell improved to 5-0 for TCU (23-7).

"It was a weekend you'd just as soon forget, but we've got to regroup," Noble said. "There's half a season left, and we have to get it together."
 
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