FORT WORTH, Texas - The Army West Point baseball team battled with No. 21 TCU in a pair of close games on Saturday afternoon at Charlie & Marie Lupton Baseball Stadium, falling 6-4 and 6-5 in its first doubleheader of the season.
No. 21 TCU 6, Army 4A three-run walk off homer for the Horned Frogs (10-4) was the difference in the first game between the two sides. Connelly Early (1-1) was tagged with the loss, as he issued a walk and allowed a hit before the two-out game-winner left the park.
Up until that point, the Black Knights (3-10) had led 4-3 with all four of their runs coming in the opening three innings. Nick Manesis got the scoring started by driving in Hunter Meade with a single before Kevin Dubrule made it 2-0 in the second when he scored on an error. Sam Ruta then capped off the early spree with his second home run of the year, a two-run bomb that pushed Carter Macias across and extended Army's advantage to 4-0.
TCU, which left five combined runners on base in the first and second frames, answered in the bottom of the third with a three-run homer of its own that trimmed the Cadets' edge down to just one run. Starting arm Patrick Melampy went on to retire three of the next four batters he faced before handing the ball over to Tanner Greshman in the bottom of the fourth.
Neither side was able to score during the ensuing five innings, with the Black Knights stranding four runners on base and TCU missing out on six. Army's best chance to score in that time came in the top of the eighth when Ross Friedrick, who singled, was replaced by pinch-runner Kevin Luke. Luke swiped his third bag of the year to get into scoring position, but it was the furthest he got before the third out.
Gresham tossed 3.2 scoreless innings before passing the ball off to Tyler Prichard in the bottom of the eighth, who worked around a runner to hold the Horned Frogs scoreless once again. After sitting down the Cadets in order in the top of the ninth, the home team used the bottom of the inning to stage its final comeback.
No. 21 TCU 6, Army 5 (10 inn.)
Game two was another close battle, as a walk-off walk in the 10th inning allowed TCU to secure its second victory of the day.
A four-run Horned Frog outburst in the eighth tied up the score at 5-5, which set the stage for the dramatic finale. After a scoreless ninth inning for both sides, TCU made a two-out push to load up the bases. The Cadets tried to combat the pressure with a pitching change, but the new arm walked in the game-winning run.
Like the first part of the doubleheader, the Black Knights were the first to score, plating five combined runs in the second and fourth frames. Derek Berg and Cullen Horowicz sent in the first two runners with a single and a groundout, marking the first RBI of Horowicz' career. Though a solo shot off a TCU bat cut the lead down to 2-1 in the bottom of the third, Bret Copeland's RBI single and Hunter Meade's bases-clearing double helped Army re-distance itself from the home team, boosting the edge to 5-1.
On the mound, starting arm Robbie Buecker shined in his first start of the year. Through 6.0 innings of work, he scattered four hits and issued two walks while fanning four and allowing one run.
Army's offense quieted down after its early attack, recording just four knocks between the fifth and eighth innings. TCU's bats were slow during the stretch as well, as Buecker's efforts and Brian Dawson's scoreless frame in the seventh helped the Cadets maintain their advantage.
After being shut out for four innings, the home team made its big push in the bottom of the eighth. The spree began with back-to-back hits that plated a pair of Horned Frogs, trimming the lead down to two runs. TCU then used an RBI groundout and an Army error to tie up the score. Dawson was tagged with two of the runs and Prichard was responsible for one, as well.
Though the Black Knights advanced the go-ahead run to second in the top of the 10th, the team was held off by the reigning Big 12 champions. Teddy Lepcio (0-1) took the loss.
Coach's Corner"It was a great day to play baseball here at TCU. There is some really good development happening within this team and valuable lessons being learned. I try to get the guys to remember that it's a marathon, not a spring. We just have to clean up a few areas. This is a special club and they will be fine." - Head Coach Jim Foster
What's NextThe teams will return to Charlie & Marie Lupton Baseball Stadium to close out the series with a 2 p.m. EST game on Sunday afternoon. The action will be carried on ESPN+.
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