BB: TCU Falls Short Against Texas A&M

April 24, 2012
TCU Athletics

FORT WORTH, Texas - No. 9 Texas A&M rallied with four runs in the last two innings to steal a 4-1 victory over TCU Tuesday night. Jantzen Witte had two of the Horned Frogs' three hits in the game, including his second home run of the season.

Brandon Finnegan was outstanding in his return to the starter's role. The freshman tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings, with three hits, four walks and three strikeouts. Justin Scharf was touched for a run on three hits with a strikeout in 1 2/3 innings. Kevin Allen (2-2) was tagged with the loss after giving up two runs on four hits with two strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings.

Finnegan worked out of jams in four of the five innings pitched. He was helped along by a pair of inning-ending double plays in the third and fifth innings.

The Aggies first threatened in the second inning after a two-out double and a walk. Finnegan got a big strikeout to end the threat. A one-out walk in the third was erased by the duo of Witte and Derek Odell, who turned an inning-ending double play. In the sixth inning, it was Keaton Jones turn to start an inning-ending double play as he helped Finnegan work around a lead-off double and a walk.

TCU took the momentum from the Jones-Odell-Kevin Cron double play and turned it into a 1-0 lead. With one swing of the bat, Witte put the Frogs in front as he crushed his second home run of the season over the left field fence.

Finnegan gave way to Scharf with one out in the sixth with a runner on second. Scharf did the job, retiring the next two batters he faced to end the inning.

After dodging another two-out bullet in the seventh inning, the Frogs couldn't get out of the eighth inning jam with the lead intact. Scott Arthur led off the frame with a single. Chance Bolcerek tied the game with a triple to the right center gap and scored on a Matt Juengel single through the left side. With runners on the corners and nobody out, Allen got two big strikeouts and a ground out to end the inning with the Frogs trailing by just one, 2-1.

Texas A&M pushed across a pair of insurance runs in the top of the ninth. With two outs a base hit by Arthur started the rally. A walk to Bolcerek followed and RBIs from Juengel and Jace Statum made it a 4-1 lead.

TCU falls to 23-15 overall. The homestand continues Friday night when the Horned Frogs host Manhattan for three games. Friday night's series opener is slated for 6:30 p.m.