Big winner of the week

TCU (16-7, 3-0)

All of TCU’s attention turned to their Big 12 opening series against Baylor after a midweek contest against Tarleton State was postponed until April due to COVID-19 protocols. A run scored in each of the last three innings Friday was all TCU pitchers Russell Smith and Haylen Green needed in the series’ closest contest which the Horned Frogs won, 3-1. TCU carried their offensive momentum into Saturday, amassing 10 runs in the first three innings. Dominance was the name of the game on both sides of the ball as Austin Krob allowed one hit through seven shutout innings. A five-run inning in the first and third was more than enough to give the Horned Frogs the edge in the finale, as TCU recorded its second perfect weekend of the season. Starting pitchers combined for 19 innings pitched, eight hits, one earned run, and 18 strikeouts during the series.

Standout player: Austin Krob (7.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BBs, 9 Ks) in Saturday’s win

Results:

W 3-1 vs. Baylor

W 11-2 vs. Baylor

W 10-1 vs. Baylor

More positives

Texas Tech (19-4, 2-1)

March has been kind to the Red Raiders. Tech finished the month with a record of 16-1 after a series sweep of South Florida. Dillon Carter returned from injury and immediately turned the first pitch he saw this season into a two-run homer to get the Red Raiders’ 16-run Friday night underway. Dru Baker extended his hitting streak to ten games, including a four-hit outing on Saturday to complement Patrick Monteverde’s scoreless seven innings of work. Baker also currently has a streak of seven straight contests with multiple hits, raising his average to .442, second best in the Big 12. Monteverde’s fourth scoreless start this year dropped his ERA to 0.75, tenth best in the country. Cal Conley scored Dylan Neuse in the 5th inning Sunday to break a 4-4 tie as the bullpen combined to pitch 4.2 scoreless innings to hold on to the lead late.

Standout player: Dru Baker (10-14, 5 RBIs, 5 runs, BB) over the weekend

Results:

W 16-6 vs. South Florida

W 8-0 vs. South Florida

W 7-4 vs. South Florida

Texas (17-7, 4-2)

The Red River series got started in dramatic fashion Friday. After recording a 10-1 victory over Incarnate Word Tuesday, Texas went eight straight innings without scoring a run before walking it off over Oklahoma in the 11th. With two outs and the bases empty, Mitchell Daly walked and Douglas Hodo doubled him home on a 1-2 pitch that he drove to center field. The Sooners entered the 6th inning Saturday with a lead but soon saw themselves down by seven. Four late home runs by Texas gave them enough insurance to hold off a small 9th inning rally by Oklahoma. A close contest Sunday fell the way of the Sooners. After Mike Antico hit a 2-out, RBI single to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the 8th, Oklahoma responded with three straight two-out singles in the 9th to retake the lead and salvage the series.

Standout player: Kolby Kubichek (6.2 IP, 2 ERs, 3 H, 4 BBs, 3 Ks) in Sunday’s loss

Results:

W 4-3 (11) vs. Oklahoma

W 11-6 vs. Oklahoma

L 3-2 vs. Oklahoma

Dallas Baptist (14-7)

The Patriots picked up a pair of wins thanks to back-to-back quality starts by Kyle Rich and Dominic Hamel to open their four-game series against UTRGV. Game 2 was much tougher for the Patriots than the 10-2 series opener. After the Vaqueros tied the game in the 8th, Austin Bell became the hero for Dallas Baptist when he left the yard for a two-run walk-off home run. The Game 3 encore was even more dramatic. The Patriots entered into the bottom of the 8th down, 5-1. Two runs in the inning gave DBU the opportunity for a 9th-inning comeback. Down by one, with runners at first and second and two outs, River Town found the left-center field gap for the second straight walk-off victory. The Patriots once again threatened late in the finale but were unable to bring the tying run home from second.

Standout player: Austin Bell (8-18, walk-off HR, 7 RBIs, 2 runs, 2 BBs during the series)

Results:

W 10-2 vs. UTRGV

W 4-2 vs. UTRGV

W 6-5 vs. UTRGV

L 5-4 vs. UTRGV

Texas A&M (17-9, 2-4)

Despite a weekend series victory, it was a .500 week for the Aggies. A&M was held to two hits in a midweek loss Tuesday against Rice. However, the Aggies bounced back with two straight wins to open their series against Georgia. Hunter Coleman’s three RBIs, including a two-run homer, was the difference in the 6-3 opener, but it was his brother who was the hero Saturday. A&M pitcher Jonathan Childress got bounced early after giving up five runs through two innings of work, but the Aggies slowly crawled back into the game. After Will Frizzell tied the game with an RBI double in the 9th, Ty Coleman drove in pinch-runner Brett Minnich with the bases loaded to secure the series victory. A&M got out to an early 4-1 lead Sunday, but five late runs given up in the 7th and 8th innings by the bullpen allowed the Bulldogs to salvage a win.

Standout player: Nathan Dettmer (6.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 6 Ks) in Tuesday’s loss to Rice

Results:

L 2-1 vs. Rice

W 6-3 vs. Georgia

W 7-6 vs. Georgia

L 6-4 vs. Georgia

Rough week

Baylor (13-10, 1-5)

The Bears are now 1-7 in their last eight contests and off to a 1-5 start in conference play after getting swept by No. 13 TCU. The week started off with a road loss against UT-Arlington. The Bears and Mavericks went back-and-forth until the 11th inning when Cason Gregory capped off three straight singles with an RBI up the middle. On Friday, Tyler Thomas was strong on the mound, but Baylor bats were held to five hits and one run. Baylor’s two runs on Saturday were the high for the weekend, and they came in the 9th inning when the Bears were already down by 11. Similar to Saturday, Baylor got touched up early Sunday and did not score until they were down by double digits. Starting pitching struggled Saturday and Sunday with neither Blake Helton nor Hayden Kettler going more than two innings. Baylor did not hold a lead all weekend. The Bears get a much-needed break from conference play this week as North Carolina A&T comes to Baylor Ballpark for a four-game set.

Standout player: Tyler Thomas (6.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BBs, 7 Ks) in Friday’s loss

Results:

L 4-3 at UT-Arlington

L 3-1 at No. 13 TCU

L 11-2 at No. 13 TCU

L 10-1 at No. 13 TCU

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