TCU Baseball was full of Lupton Magic as the No. 3 Horned Frogs beat the UT Arlington Mavericks 14-1 Thursday night after seven innings.
The Mavericks got their lone run in the top of the first inning with center fielder Noah Vaughan’s one-out home run.
The Frogs’ first baseman Luken Baker and left fielder Josh Watson responded in the bottom of the first with their second home runs of the season, giving the Frogs a 2-1 lead with two outs.
#BakerBombs pic.twitter.com/AZaXDOl0u8
— TCU Baseball (@TCU_Baseball) March 2, 2018
A sweet swing from Josh Watson! #GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/vWIwQE5Dcx
— TCU Baseball (@TCU_Baseball) March 2, 2018
In the bottom of the third, the Frogs extended their lead. Right fielder Connor Wanhanen scored from third on a wild pitch with two outs. Shortly after, with bases loaded, designated hitter Michael Landestoy was walked and Watson scored giving the Frogs a 4-1 lead.
The Frogs were productive in the fifth and sixths innings, scoring nine combined runs. After Baker, Watson and catcher Zach Humphreys loaded the bases in the fifth, Baker and Watson scored on back-to-back walks to center fielder A.J Balta and Landestoy with no outs.
Balta and Landestoy then scored on a one-out RBI-single from shortstop Adam Oviedo. Conner Shepherd and Oviedo scored on an RBI-double from second baseman Coby Boulware. Boulware then scored on a groundout from Baker after a walk to Wanhanen, giving the Frogs an 11-1 lead.
Pinch-hitter Colten Parrish and Balta scored on back-to-back singles from Landestoy and Shepherd in the sixth. Landestoy then scored from second on an RBI-double from Oviedo, making it 14-1.
“The game is about good pitching, good defense and timely hitting,” head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “Two-out hitting is what wins you ballgames. I thought our at-bats were good throughout the entire night.”
Starter Russell Smith made his first career start and received his first win for the Horned Frogs. Smith was drafted in the 38th round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs. He went one inning, giving up a solo home run.
Offensively, the Frogs have now tallied double-digit hits in five of the seven games this season. Watson and Oviedo have hit safely in all seven games this season, while Baker has reached base safely in 35 consecutive games dating back to last year.
This was the fourth attempt at the matchup this season between the Frogs and the Mavericks, as the first three were postponed due to inclement weather.
“It certainly wasn’t fun to sit around and not play,” Schlossnagle said. “But, as a baseball player, you love the opportunity to play a lot. Now we get to play four games in a row and five in the next six days.”
The team is now 5-2 overall and will play UC Irvine (6-2) in a three-game home series starting Friday at 6:30 p.m.
