The No. 2 ranked TCU baseball team came out on top against No. 16 Dallas Baptist on Tuesday night at Lupton Stadium 6-2, thanks in part to three errors in the bottom of the third.
TCU scored five runs in the bottom of the third inning to make the score 5-2 with the help of three DBU errors and good base running by the Frogs. DBU freshman starter Gavin Fritz (0-1) lasted 2 2/3 innings and gave up six hits before he got pulled after TCU’s fifth run of the inning.
TCU sophomore starter Tyler Alexander didn’t get off to a good start in the first inning.
DBU led off with a double down the left field line and then added a single before Alexander threw the ball past the first baseman on an attempted pickoff play that helped DBU score a run.
Alexander gave up two runs, one unearned, in the top of the first. He also hit two different batters early in the game. TCU head coach Jim Schlossnagle spoke after the game about Alexander’s performance early.
“The best time to get to a really good pitcher is early when he hasn’t quite found the feel for his pitches,” Schlossnagle said. “Once he got command of his off-speed pitches…then he kind of found his rhythm.”
Alexander turned things around after the first inning and gave up only four more hits in eight innings of work. He also had five strikeouts in the game. After the game, he said that going eight innings made him feel really good and helped him build confidence in his pitches.
“My last couple of starts, especially in the first inning, I’ve kind of struggled,” Alexander said. “I seem to get a little bit better as the game goes on.”
Alexander (2-2) also said that having run support gave him the confidence that he needed to go eight innings.
“It helps knowing that I can give up two runs in the top of the first inning and that my hitters have my back,” Alexander said. “I can give up some runs and still feel confident in myself.”
DBU (24-6, 6-3 Missouri Valley) used four different pitchers in the ballgame. They combined to give up 10 hits along with the six runs. Coach Schlossnagle didn’t downplay DBU’s performance at all and said that this win is not only great for the team, but it could also be a resume builder.
“Nobody in this state downplays DBU,” Schlossnagle said. “They know they are as strong and as talented and as well coached as any program in the state of Texas.”
The win improves the Frogs’ overall record to 25-6. They are also 6-3 in Big 12 play. TCU will head to Manhattan, Kansas to take on Big 12 rival Kansas State in a three-game series this weekend.
“Anytime you go there, it’s a different atmosphere.” Schlossnagle said. “The turf is really fast and the wind blows out so it’s built for offense. In this conference, if you don’t play well, then you’re going to lose, and we plan on playing well.”
