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BB: TCU Completes Sweep Of Texas Tech, Wins 7-4

Mar. 12, 2012
TCU Athletics

FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU Horned Frogs stretched their winning streak to five straight games with a 7-4 come-from-behind victory over Texas Tech on Monday afternoon. The Frogs scored five unearned runs in the sixth inning to erase an early 3-0 lead.

Preston Morrison (3-0) earned the win in relief of Brandon Finnegan. Morrison tossed five innings, allowing a run on four hits with two strikeouts. Finnegan was touched for three runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts in three innings of work. Kaleb Merck earned his fourth save of the season, striking out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth.

The Red Raiders pitched out of a pair of jams in the first and second innings and translated the momentum into a trio of two-out runs in the third. Scott LeJeune hit a two-out two-run single to put Texas Tech in front. With runners on the corners, Barrett Barnes and LeJeune executed a double steal and Barnes slid in safely at home to give Texas Tech a 3-0 lead.

TCU responded with a pair of two-out runs of its own in the bottom of the inning. Jason Coats started the two-out rally with a base hit to right. After Elander singled, Jerrick Suiter lined a single to left center to drive in the Frogs' first run of the game. Derek Odell followed with a bouncer up the middle to pull the Frogs within one, 3-2.

Morrison came on in the fourth inning with two on and nobody out as Tech threatened to add to its lead. A sacrifice bunt put both runners in scoring position, but Morrison got a ground ball to first, then struck out Jamodrick McGruder to end the inning, keeping the deficit at one.

The Frogs finally broke through in the sixth inning as they turned an error into five runs and a 7-3 lead. Texas Tech reliever Trey Masek got the first two outs before allowing a triple to Braden Mattson. He looked to be out of the inning with a grounder to third, but the play wasn't made and Mattson scored the tying run. A passed ball moved Keaton Jones to second and he scored the go-ahead run on a single by Brance Rivera.

Kyle Von Tungeln kept the inning rolling with a single to put two on for Jason Coats. He delivered a two-run triple to make it 6-3 and scored on a base hit from Josh Elander to cap the scoring in the inning.

Texas Tech scored a run in the top of the seventh as it took advantage of a lead-off double, but that was close as they got as Morrison and Merck shut the door the rest of the way.

TCU improves to 7-6 on the season. The Frogs will begin an eight-game road trip on Tuesday night when they head to San Antonio for a contest against UTSA. Game time against the Roadrunners is set for 6 p.m. at Wolff Stadium. Nick Frey will make his first start of the season.