Two swings accounted for all five West Virginia runs as the Mountaineers handed TCU a 5-4 loss in the series opener Friday night. Tre Richardson had two hits and Kurtis Byrne drove in two in the loss.
The Rundown
Two batters into the game, West Virginia had a 2-0 advantage. A lead-off walk was followed by a home run from Landon Wallace.
TCU cut the deficit in half in the second. Two walks and an error had two in scoring position with one out. Karson Bowen's sacrifice fly made it a 2-1 game.
Another big swing, this one a three run home run in the fourth, pushed the West Virginia advantage to four, 5-1.
TCU pulled within two in the sixth. With two in scoring position and two out, Kurtis Byrne dumped a double right on the foul line to drive in Cole Fontenelle and Austin Davis to make it a 5-3 ballgame.
The Frogs made it a one-run game in the seventh on a two-out double off the bat of Davis. That was as close as they would get as the West Virginia closer was able to wiggle out of jams in the seventh and eighth.
Kole Klecker (7-3) took the loss after allowing five runs on six hits. He walked four and struck out four. Hunter Hodges, Ben Abeldt and Luke Savage held the Mountaineers to just three base runners in their three innings of work.
Stat of the Game:
2 – All five West Virginia runs scored on two hits.
Notes:
• TCU played errorless baseball for the 16th time this season.
• TCU outhit its opponent for the 22nd time this season.
• Tre Richardson has reached safely in 11 straight games.
• Richardson tallied his 16th multi-hit game of the season and the 51st of his career.
• Kurtis Byrne posted his fifth multi-RBI game of the season and the 15th of his career.
• Elijah Nunez has reached safely in nine straight.
Next Up:
With the loss, TCU drops to 22-16 overall. The Horned Frogs will look to even the series on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. (CT). Louis Rodriguez will make his first collegiate start. The contest will be televised on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
