TCU eliminates Oral Roberts from CWS

The Horned Frogs pushed across four runs in the top of the fifth to help keep its season alive.

Oral Roberts, meanwhile, came into the CWS having won 22 of their last 24 games with lone losses to Oregon and Florida, but the Summit League champions were unable to find the offense that propelled them previously. Credit TCU pitchers, too.

The Horned Frogs allowed seven hits and three runners past second base. Starter Cam Brown was especially dominant, allowing one hit and striking out three in three innings.

“He gave us nine good outs,” TCU coach Kirk Saarloos said. “I thought he threw the ball well.”

Saarloos was also impressed with the his offense, which put up 11 hits and added six walks, performed in the do-or-die game.

“I think this group has done a really good job handling all the distractions and being able to play baseball,” Saarloos said. “It’s fun when they all grab hold of it together and don’t want it to end.”

Kurtis Byrne, who went 2 for 4 with a run and RBI, was one of the key players on offense for TCU (44-23). His second-inning double pushed to Cole Fontenelle to third. He would later score after a bases-loaded walk.

Byrne had one hit in TCU’s two previous games, but didn’t let that deter him.

“Not worrying too much about the outcome right now,” Byrne said. “I think that was the biggest thing today.”

Saarloos also thought the team did a good job of avoiding distractions and keeping their focus.

“And I think this group has done a really good job handling all the distractions and being able to play baseball,” he said. “I think they just like to play baseball, and when the game comes calling, they’re ready for it.”

The game came calling for TCU in a big way in the fifth inning.

While the Horned Frogs were up 2-0, the game was still in doubt. At least it was until TCU used four singles and a walk to score four runs and extend the lead to 6-0.

Five of the first seven TCU batters of the inning reached base, and four scored. When asked about the output, shortstop Anthony Silva said “we’ve probably been in every situation possible so we knew how to handle all of that.”

Still, Oral Roberts (52-14) had its chances.

In the third inning, ORU’s first two batters walked, and after a sacrifice bunt, the Golden Eagles had runners on second and third with one out. Then Brown was able to settle down and get out of the jam unscathed.

When asked about his mentality in the moment, Brown echoed the team’s “living pitch for pitch” motto. He said he planned on “just executing pitch for pitch and trying to give my team the best chance to win.”

The rest of the TCU staff did so, too.

Luke Savage, Hunter Hodges and Cohen Feser all got at least five outs, performances Saarloos called “huge.”

“To be able to get 4.1 innings from two guys who haven’t been used a whole lot … that was pivotal,” the coach said.

Oral Roberts also threatened in the fourth, but a batter interference call during a potential stolen base helped fizzle the opportunity. In the fifth, the Golden Eagles got a run after two singles, but it wasn’t enough.

The team would muster two more hits the rest of the game.

There were also several defensive miscues. A balk, a pitch-clock violation and throwing errors all led to extra bases for TCU.

“We knew coming in we would have to play clean,” Oral Roberts coach Ryan Folmar said. “And we just weren’t able to do that.”

TCU, on the other hand, was able to execute, something Saarloos partially credits to their clutch experience.

“We’ve been playing kind of this style or this type of game situation for six weeks,” he said.

Up next, the Horned Frogs face Florida on Wednesday trying to force a winner-take-all game Bracket 1 final.