Stefan Crichton threw seven solid innings and gave up only one run and Josh Elander went 2-for-3 at the plate and scored both of TCU’s runs, as the Horned Frogs beat Texas Tech 2-1 Sunday afternoon at Lupton Stadium.
The win was TCU’s fourth straight and came in game one of a two-game set between the two schools. Friday and Saturday’s games were rained out.
The Horned Frogs (6-6) and Red Raiders (10-4) will meet up again Monday at 2 p.m.
The difference Sunday came down to defense.
Elander reached on a single in the second inning and made his way around to third base off of an errant pickoff throw by Texas Tech starter Duke von Schamann.
After Derek Odell lined out to shortstop, freshman designated hitter Jerrick Suiter grounded out to second base to drive in Elander and give TCU a 1-0 lead.
Elander would go on to cause more havoc on the base paths in the fourth inning.
After reaching on a single and advancing to second base on an error by the right-fielder, Elander got to third base on a balk by von Schammann and scored on a ground out by Odell.
That was all the runs Crichton would need.
The sophomore gave up a run in the fourth off of a sac fly by Reid Redman, but was flawless the rest of the day, allowing just one more base runner over the next three innings before getting pulled before the eighth.
“They hit a lot of balls hard in the first three innings,” TCU head coach Jim Schlossnagle said of Crichton. “But he kept working at it and he found a rhythm in the middle innings that helped him get it going.”
Right-handed pitchers Justin Scharf and Kevin Allen pitched the eighth inning for TCU.
Kaleb Merck came in for the ninth inning to notch his third save of the season.
Schlossnagle said his defense, which has struggled at times early in the season, tightened it up Sunday.
"It's one game, we'll see it over time," Schlossgnagle said. "It's not like we don't work on it. It's just a matter of sometimes those things come in bunches and we needed to sure it up a little bit. I thought Davy (Wright) especially played really well."
Rivera returns to lineup
Right-fielder Brance Rivera returned to the lineup Sunday after missing three weeks with a strained groin.
Rivera’s last start came Feb. 19 against Ole Miss.
Rivera went 0-for-4 and struck out three times at the plate, but Elander said River’s presence alone was a huge boost for TCU.
“He's got some of the most experience beside (Jason Coats),” Elander said. "He's an unbelievable person. He's an awesome guy to be around. He's always positive. He always does the right thing."
Rivera dove for a ball down the right-field line in the eighth inning, coming up just short of making an impressive catch. Schlossnagle said after the game that he asked Rivera if he got banged up on the play but senior said he was okay.
Road Tripping
Monday’s game against Texas Tech will be TCU’s last home contest for almost three weeks.
After the Horned Frogs wrap things up against the Red Raiders, they’ll shower, grab a bite to eat and head down I-35 to San Antonio, Schlossnagle said.
TCU plays UT-San Antonio Tuesday night before heading to UNLV Friday for a three game series with the Rebels. After that, the Horned Frogs have a mid-week game at Texas State on March 20 and a three-game series at New Mexico starting March 23.
TCU plays at UT-Arlington March 27 before coming back home against UNLV on March 30.
