Because of the way baseball is played without a time limit, and typically in a three-game series, it’s often hard for a team to put together long stretches of wins. There are simply too many variables.
For No. 10 TCU baseball, though, wins have been almost automatic recently, as the Frogs earned their second-straight sweep this past weekend in Norman, Okla. and a win over Tarleton State on Tuesday en route to ten-straight wins.
During that stretch, TCU has gotten everything they have wanted and more at the plate, outscoring their opponents by a whopping 95-37 margin.
True freshman Brayden Taylor has led the way offensively for TCU over their four wins in the last five days, hitting a home run in each of the games.
The West Jordan, Utah, native was named the Co-Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for his outstanding weekend.
Oklahoma Game 1
First baseman Gene Wood started the series off by having the game of his life, hitting two home runs and leading a 15-hit effort for TCU, as they took down the Sooners 11-7 on Friday night.
Eight different Horned Frogs produced a hit in the contest, with five of them tallying two or more.
Starter Russell Smith continued to establish himself as TCU’s ace, striking out eight while giving up just four hits and three earned runs in seven innings pitched.
The first home run from Wood came on a jack to left field in the second inning, and two more runs would follow shortly, giving the Frogs an early 3-0 lead.
Third baseman Brayden Taylor would get in on the action in the third, hitting his fifth home run of the year to extend TCU’s lead to four.
Taylor was not done, though. The true freshman hit an RBI single in the fifth before scoring moments later on a single by designated hitter Hunter Wolfe.
The second infield single of the night then came for the speedy Porter Brown, as the Frogs pushed their lead to 7-0.
The Sooners finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run homer, but Wood’s second home run of the game came just a half-inning later, as TCU would continue to keep Oklahoma out of reach for the rest of the night.
Reliever Haylen Green earned the save in the matchup, improving the Frogs to 6-0 on the season when he has the opportunity to save.
Oklahoma Game 2
Starter Austin Krob set a career-high with 10 strikeouts, and Taylor homered for the second-straight game, as TCU sealed the series win with a 17-6 blowout of Oklahoma on Saturday.
Now 4-0 on the year, Krob shook off a few early hits given off to produce his best performance to date, giving up just three hits and a run in seven innings pitched.
At one point, the sophomore lefty retired 16-straight batters.
Along with Taylor, second baseman Gray Rodgers also hit a home run in the contest, improving TCU to 10-0 on the season when they hit multiple home runs.
The Frogs were anything but kind to Sooners’ starter Jake Bennett, scoring six runs in the first inning and four before an out was even recorded.
After a single from catcher Zach Humphreys and a double from Wood hit in two runs apiece with no outs, Rodgers blasted his two-run homer to make it 6-0.
Oklahoma was able to put one run on the board in the bottom of the inning before Taylor’s two-run homer made it 8-1 in the second.
TCU would go on to score groups of runs in the fourth, fifth, sixth and eighth innings, holding a 17-1 lead at one point and all but sealing the victory.
The Sooners would score five runs in the last two innings combined, but it was too little, too late against the Frogs’ offensive explosion.
The TCU bullpen recorded 14 strikeouts on the day, making the contest the 16th time the Frogs have struck out double-digit batters in a game this season.
Oklahoma Game 3
Trailing for the first time all weekend, TCU scored seven unanswered runs to beat Oklahoma 7-3 and complete their second-straight series sweep on Easter Sunday.
Starter Johnny Ray struggled a bit early for the Frogs, giving up four hits and three earned runs through his four innings pitched.
A sacrifice fly got things going for the Sooners in the second before a two-run shot to right in the bottom of the third put them up 3-0.
That would be all that Oklahoma would see offensively for the rest of the game, though, as relievers Charles King and Green gave up just two hits and zero runs over the last five innings.
Meanwhile, TCU’s offense got going.
Shortstop Tommy Sacco hit a two-run double with two outs before Brown smacked an RBI single to tie the game at three in the top of the fourth.
Then, in the seventh, Brown, right fielder Phillip Sikes, and Taylor each blasted home runs to cap the scoring for TCU and give them all they needed to finish the sweep.
The win moved the Frogs to 6-0 in conference play, keeping them at first in the conference standings and giving them their best Big 12 Conference start in school history.
Tarleton State
Taylor homered for his four-straight game, and LHP River Ridings earned his first win as a Frog, as TCU overcame 15 hits by Tarleton State to take down the Texans 13-9 on the road Tuesday afternoon.
Now leading the team with eight home runs, Taylor finished with two hits and four RBIs on the day, keeping the Frogs’ streak of offensive explosions alive.
Ridings was one of six pitchers that saw the mound for TCU in the contest, entering the game in the fifth and giving up two hits and zero runs in his 1.2 innings pitched.
The Frogs looked to be well on their way to an early blowout, as they opened up an 8-1 lead off an RBI triple by Sikes in the top of the third.
The Texans then scored five runs with two outs in the bottom of the inning, with the last four coming off of a grand slam by shortstop Bryan Aguilar.
Tarleton pulled two within one on a solo shot in the fourth, but that’s as close as they would get, as TCU scored five more runs over the next two innings to pull out of reach.
Neither team would score in the final three innings, as relievers Garrett Wright and Green sealed the win for TCU and extended their winning streak to 10 games.
Tarleton State had finished with 13 men left on base, scoring just nine runs despite out-hitting TCU 15-13.
Up Next:
This weekend, TCU will face their toughest competition of the Big 12 season so far, as they take on No. 8 Texas Tech on the road. The first pitch in Lubbock, Texas on Friday is at 6:30 p.m.