TCU Falls 1-0 In Pitcher's Duel

Tuesday, June 16

Omaha, Neb.

7:00 PM

TCU

50-14

Vanderbilt

49-19

Vanderbilt

TCU

TCU Falls 1-0 In Pitcher's Duel

6/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

June 16, 2015

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OMAHA, Neb. - Zander Wiel's home run to lead off the seventh proved to be the difference as Vanderbilt handed TCU a 1-0 loss in the winner's bracket game Tuesday night. Alex Young was outstanding, striking out a career-high 12 batters.

Young (9-3) allowed base runners in just three of the 7 2/3 innings he pitched. He gave up three hits and walked one. Young tied a College World Series record with his 12 strikeouts. Trey Teakell retired all four batters he faced, striking out two.

TCU had the game's first opportunity to get on the board with a pair of two-out runners in the first. Connor Wanhanen worked a walk and moved to second on an Evan Skoug base hit. Vandy starter Philip Pfeifer got a ground ball to get out of the jam.

In the third, TCU gifted Vanderbilt a pair of base runners on a strikeout/passed ball and an error on a sac bunt. Both runners were in scoring position with one out when Young issued his lone walk of the game. The junior battled back and struck out Rhett Wiseman and Dansby Swanson to end the threat.

A lead-off walk followed by a one-out base hit from Jeremie Fagnan had the Frogs in business once again in the third. Similar to the first, Pfeifer got out of the jam with a ground out and fly out to keep the game scoreless.

After issuing the one-out walk in the third, Young retired the next 11 batters he faced. He picked up six strikeouts over that stretch en route to carrying a no-hitter into the seventh.

The no-hitter and the shutout were gone with one swing of the bat. Wiel hit a home run down the left field line to open up the seventh.

Twice TCU got the lead-off batter on in the sixth and seventh inning and couldn't move him around. Wanhanen reached on a bunt single in the sixth and was stranded at second. Keaton Jones led off the seventh with a base hit and moved to second on a throwing error but he would get no further as Pfeifer retired the next three batters.

In the eighth, TCU tried to mount a two-out rally. Skoug walked and moved to second on a pinch-hit single from Evan Williams, but Vandy reliever Kyle Wright got a ground out to end the inning.

The loss drops TCU to 50-14 overall and into the loser's bracket. The Horned Frogs will face LSU Thursday night at 7 p.m. in an elimination game on ESPN.