CHAMPIONS! TCU Clinches Regular Season Crown

Thursday, May 14

Norman, Okla.

6:00 PM

TCU

41-9, 16-5

Oklahoma

32-23, 13-9

TCU

Oklahoma

CHAMPIONS! TCU Clinches Regular Season Crown

5/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

May 14, 2015

Final Stats | Game Notes

NORMAN, Okla. - A two-out error in the ninth allowed Derek Odell to score what proved to be the Big 12 regular season clinching run as No. 3 TCU rallied from a 4-2 deficit to pick up a 5-4 win over Oklahoma Thursday night. The conference championship is TCU's first outright regular season team title in the Big 12 since joining the league in 2012.

TCU stretches its Big 12 winning streak to nine straight and its overall winning streak to seven games. The Horned Frogs have not lost a weekend game since dropping the series finale to Kansas State on April 12.

Odell reached on a one-out infield single in the ninth. A Keaton Jones base hit to right center moved Odell to third with just one out. The Sooners got a strikeout for a big second out, before turning to the bullpen. Keaton Jones took off for second on the first pitch from the reliever to Elliott Barzilli. The throw went down to second, but confusion from the defense proved costly as the ball skipped through to center field, allowing Odell to score the eventual game-winning run.

Oklahoma didn't go quietly in the ninth. Riley Ferrell came on and issued a lead-off walk to Taylor Alspaugh. After striking out the next two batters, another walk moved the tying run to second. Ferrell buckled down and got Robert Tasin to ground out to Garrett Crain to lock up the Big 12 regular season title. The save was the 13th of the season for Ferrell.

The Horned Frogs found themselves facing a 4-2 deficit after the fifth. The comeback started in the sixth when the Sooners gifted the Frogs a run. Connor Wanhanen worked a lead-off walk and moved to second on a walk to Dane Steinhagen. Oklahoma attempted to turn a double play on a ball hit by Nolan Brown. The relay throw from second was high and Wanhanen was able to score to make it a 4-3 game. The comeback was completed with one out in the seventh when Keaton Jones launched his second home run of the season over the left field fence to tie the game at four.

Oklahoma threatened to regain the lead in the eighth after a one-out single and a wild pitch had the go-ahead run in scoring position. Preston Guillory got a big strikeout for out No. 2 before yielding to Travis Evans (1-0). Aikin beat out an infield single to shortstop, but a head's up defensive play from Jeremie Fagnan at first ended the inning. Running all the way from second, Hunter Haley was speeding towards home, but a strike from Fagnan to catcher Evan Skoug ended the inning as Haley was tagged out at the plate, setting up the dramatic ninth inning.

Oklahoma opened the scoring in the first as it took advantage of a lead-off hit batter. With one out, Craig Aikin raced to third on a Kolbey Carpenter base hit. Anthony Hermelyn gave the Sooners a 1-0 lead with a seeing-eye single through the left side. Alex Young wiggled out of the jam with a ground ball to third that turned into an inning-ending double play.

Cody Jones hit a line-drive home run over the right field fence with two out in the third to tie the game at one.

Two innings later, the Frogs took their first lead of the game. Crain worked a one-out walk in the fifth to get the Frogs going again. Derek Odell hit a long fly ball that clanked off the center field fence for an RBI-double, giving TCU a 2-1 lead.

Oklahoma wasted little time tying the game and regaining the lead. In the bottom of the inning, Haley led off with an infield single. A great play on a sacrifice attempt got the lead runner at second, but four straight Sooners reached following the out as they scored three times. Taylor Alspaugh looped a single into left field to tie the game at two and Hermelyn singled up the middle with the bases loaded to make it a 4-2 game in favor of Oklahoma.

On the mound, Young started and tossed six innings. He allowed four runs on nine hits, walked one and struck out six in the no-decision.

With the victory, TCU improves to 41-9 overall and 16-5 in Big 12 play. Preston Morrison will toe the rubber for the Horned Frogs in game two on Friday night. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at L. Dale Mitchell Park. The game will be televised nationally on FOX College Sports-Central.