TCU Tops A&M in
16-Inning Classic
By Travis L. Brown
Special to
CollegeBaseballInsider.com
Travis Brown is a former bullpen catcher who
covers TCU athletics, the Dallas Stars and high school sports
for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Follow on Twitter @Travis_L_Brown
FORT WORTH,
Texas
– It wasn’t an emphatic stop sign, but TCU third base coach
Bill Mosiello had his hands up when senior second baseman
Garrett Crain rounded third base in the bottom of the 16th
inning.
“I didn’t
really see Coach Mo’s stop sign. Now that I think about it, I
can see him,” Crain said after the game.
With the ball
laying just feet from Texas A&M third baseman Ronnie Gideon,
Crain rounded third and headed home, sliding in safely to end
a marathon 16-inning Game 3 of the Fort Worth Super Regional
5-4, sending TCU to its second College World Series in as many
years.
“I knew we had
to score somehow, so I just kept going,” Crain said. “I didn’t
really see Coach Mo’s stop sign, so I just ran.”
With runners
on first and second and two down, freshman catcher Evan Skoug
put the play in motion, bouncing a 0-1 pitch down the third
base line. Gideon moved to his right, getting leather on the
ball, but watched as it fell to the ground and rolled several
feet away.
Crain had
already made his turn for home when Gideon attempted a quick
throw to the plate, but the ball bounced past catcher Michael
Barash, allowing Crain to slide in safely.
“Sixteenth
inning, have to try and force something,” Crain said. “If
that’s the seventh or eighth inning, if that’s the game-tying
or winning run like it was, maybe can’t do that. Being what it
was, we had to score a run and luckily we did.”
TCU (49-13)
thought its ticket had been punched to Omaha long before the
16th inning.
The Horned
Frogs took their first lead of the game in the fifth on a
single from senior third baseman Derek Odell and a double by
senior shortstop Keaton Jones.
Frogs freshman
Connor Wanhanen added insurance in the sixth by hitting his
first career home run, a two-run shot, off the scoreboard in
right.
“He hasn't hit
one like that in batting practice” TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle
said. “Hopefully that will be part of his game one day. He put
a good swing on it, squared it up.”
A&M (50-14)
blasted its second solo home run of the game in the top of the
eighth off the bat of centerfielder Nick Banks. The first was
a Barash shot over the left-field fence in the second inning.
Down to its
last three outs, A&M drove in two runs on groundouts by
Mitchell Nau and Logan Taylor. The Aggies loaded the bases and
ultimately scored their runs without getting a hit.
“We never feel
like it’s never our game,” Barash said. “That’s the way we are
all year. We’re a relentless group, and we’re going to play
without the fear of consequence.”
The next five
innings turned into a game of chess with each coach trying to
set up pieces to end the game with a key hit.
Aggies
sophomore pitcher Ryan Hendrix (6-4) threw the last 4.2
innings for A&M, throwing 99 pitches a day after throwing 19
pitches in 2.1 innings.
In every
inning of Game 3, Hendrix had to work out of a jam with at
least one runner in scoring position.
None was more
pivotal than the 14th, when Hendrix took a line shot off the
bat of Skoug to the arm, deflecting it to his first baseman
G.R. Hinsley. Hinsley was able to scoop up the ball and toss
it to the plate, forcing Crain out at home to extend the game.
“I was able to
get my arm out there and it hit me in the ribs too,” Hendrix
said.
Horned Frogs
sophomore Mitchell Traver (9-2) threw the final four innings
for TCU without allowing a single Aggie hit and walking two.
The starting
nod in the game went to junior Alex Young, after Schlossnagle
said Traver could be in the mix. Traver took on a starter’s
load, throwing 63 pitches, striking out six and walking two.
TCU used seven
pitchers in the game, including four in the bottom of the
ninth.
Schlossnagle
had the ability to go deep into his bullpen thanks to the
9.1-inning performance from starter Preston Morrison in Game
2.
“Preston and
Alex both going out there and giving us good starts helped us
playing into this game,” Schlossnagle said.
With the win,
TCU will face LSU Sunday at 2 p.m. in its third appearance at
the College World Series all-time, all of which have come
since 2010.
With a couple
days off before Omaha, players and coaches alike plenty of
time to savor what transpired into early Tuesday morning at
Lupton Stadium.
“I think one
of the greatest college baseball games ever, considering what
was on the line,” Schlossnagle said. “Really proud of my team
and proud to be on the same field with Texas A&M.”
Ferrell
gets vote of confidence
For the third
straight appearance, TCU junior closer Riley Ferrell failed to
shut the door, hitting the leadoff batter of the bottom of the
ninth and walking the next on six pitches.
With
left-handed Nick Choruby walking to the batters box as a pinch
hitter, Schlossnagle pulled Ferrell in favor of lefty Tyler
Alexander.
“I still have
belief in him,” Schlossnagle said of Ferrell. “He's been
working like crazy. Hopefully we get a chance to play a game
where we can get some work without everything, so much be on
the line, but he's the best that's ever walked on this campus
at that position, and the guy's had a couple of bad days. I'm
not giving up on him, not for one second.”
Ferrell broke
Sam Demel’s record for career saves at TCU with his 21st
on March 3 against Rice.
The junior was
14 for 16 in save opportunities this season heading into
Monday’s Game 3 and was 32 for 37 in his three years at TCU.
Checking
the glove
For the first
time in his 25 years as a coach, Schlossnagle asked home plate
umpire David Savage to check the back of Hendrix’s glove for
any substance he could have been using to gain a better grip
on the ball.
The appeal
came in the 15th inning after Schlossnagle said he saw Hendrix
continue to touch the back of his glove.
“Not
necessarily accusing somebody of something, I just wanted them
to check it,” he said. “I've coached a few guys who had great
breaking balls, who would maybe come up with a little pine tar
here and there to help them get a little bit of a grip on a
night like today.”
After Savage
walked out to the mound to inspect the glove, play resumed as
normal.
“I work at TCU
and my job is to represent the best interest of TCU and so I
just wanted him to check,” Schlossnagle said. “Ryan's a great
pitcher - no disrespect. That's my job.”
Quotable:
·
“In
25 years of coaching, that’s the best baseball game that
I’ve ever been a part of. I’m very weary of celebrating or
saying to much about our great team for fear of diminishing
the effort of Texas A&M. Unbelievable competition between
our school and their school. The fans were unbelievable on
both sides and just a classic baseball game.” – TCU head
coach Jim Schlossnagle
·
“He doesn’t expect anybody to give him wiggle
room just because he’s a freshman. He has a very high
standard for himself. We are blessed to be able to have him
as our catcher, as a player on this team and I know I’m
blessed to have him as a friend too because he makes me
better, so I’m thankful for him.” – TCU pitcher Mitchell
Traver on freshman catcher Evan Skoug.
·
“I did whatever I could to get the ball. I
knew that was the winning run. It was a tough play on Ronnie
[Gideon] and I’ll take full responsibly for that. I should
have had that ball. I should have made the play for our
guys. I’m so disappointed for our seniors that that’s the
way they had to go out, but you can count on us being back
here next year without a doubt. This one stinks a little bit
right now. It’s going to sting for a while, but we’ll
definitely be back next year.” – Texas A&M catcher Michael
Barash on the final play of the game.
·
“You just tell them how proud I am of them,
how much I love them and how thankful I am for all that they
gave each other throughout the course of the year. The
seniors were amazing from a leadership standpoint. As far as
a team, this is as good of a team as I’ve been a part of in
a long, long time. Those seniors that are leaving our
program – going to be great husbands, going to be great
fathers, going to be great leaders in the workplace if they
don’t get a chance to continue playing professionally.” –
Texas A&M head coach Rob Childress on what he told team
after game.
