Baseball: TCU Squeaks Passed UTSA on Cramer Walk-Off

Tied 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth, a Horned Frog offense that had given TCU a comfortable 3-0 lead earlier in the game needed one more burst in order to stave off the visiting Roadrunners. Catcher Karson Bowen and the rest of the top of the order was due up, and Bowen got things going with a leadoff double, his second hit of the evening. Right fielder Isaac Cardena struck out swinging on the ensuing at bat.

Next up was Cole Cramer. During his at bat, Bowen's pinch runner, Jack Arthur, advanced to third base on a passed ball putting TCU 90 feet away from its third straight win. Cramer lofted a fly ball high and deep enough into right field, allowing Arthur to check up and advance to home for the walk-off 5-4 victory over instate foe UTSA. Kirk Saarloos and his group have won eight of their last 10 games.

TCU jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead thanks to a three-run second inning. Chase Brunson opened up the scoring by advancing to home on a wild pitch. Sam Myers followed that up with a ground ball to second base, scoring Jack Bell. Junior third baseman Preston Gamster drove in Anthony Silva with a swinging bunt RBI single, his first of the season.

On the mound for the Frogs to start the game was freshman righty Trever Baumler, the first of six TCU pitchers to play in the game. Baumler went for one inning, allowing zero hits and striking out one batter. Mason Bixby took over on the rubber, pitching in the second and third innings. Bixby struck out three batters, walked two more and allowed two hits and one run, which came on a bases loaded walk in the top of the third.

Kaden Smith, Zack James and Gianluca Shinn pitched an inning each in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings respectively. Smith and Shinn kept UTSA off the scoreboard, but James struggled in the fifth inning, allowing three runs (one of which was unearned) and surrendering TCU's lead and giving the Roadrunners a 4-3 advantage.

San Antonio-native right hander Cohen Feser pitched the final three frames for TCU, earning the win over his hometown program. Feser tallied 38 pitches, allowed one hit and struck out three batters.

After the three-run second inning outburst from TCU's bats, the offense stayed quiet until the bottom of the fifth, when Cadena launched a solo home run to tie the game at 4-4, allowing for Cramer's walk-off sacrifice fly four innings later.