Baseball Falls In Extra Innings To TCU
April 19, 2003 | Baseball
FORT WORTH, TEXAS --- Chris Meeks scored the game-winning run in the top of the 10th on a squeeze play to lift TCU to 4-3 victory over East Carolina here Saturday night and hand the Pirates their first Conference USA series loss of the season.
ECU (24-15-1, 10-7 CUSA) led until the top of the ninth when Ramon Moses scored the tying-run run on an RBI-triple by Justin Hatcher, which sent the game into extra innings.
The Pirates went quietly in the top of the 10th, but TCU refused to allow the game to go into the 11th. A leadoff single, an error and an intentional walk loaded the bases for Jared Lundeen, who laid down the bunt that scored Meeks. Lundeen bunted the ball right back to pitcher Greg Bunn, but Bunn was unable to field it cleanly and allowed the winning-run to score.
Ryan Norwood hit a three-run home run in the third to stake ECU to a 3-0 lead. Ryan Jones singled to start a two-out rally, which was followed by a five-pitch walk to Darryl Lawhorn.
TCU (25-15, 12-5) broke through with a pair of runs in the fifth. Will Lewis singled to drive in one run and Terry Trofolz lifted a sacrifice fly to plate the second run.
ECU starter Will Brinson tossed a career-high 8.1 innings, scattering nine hits during his outing. Brinson tossed four 1-2-3 innings and didn't walk a batter all night.
After yielding the triple to Hatcher in the ninth, Bunn (3-2) came on in relief of Brinson. Bunn was charged with the loss, allowing one run on one hit in a single inning of work.
Kyle Shoemaker pitched nine innings for the Horned Frogs and allowed just one hit after the third inning. Shoemaker retired 15 consecutive batters between the fourth and eighth inning and finished the game with a season-high six strikeouts.
Ryan Grafe (3-1) picked up the win for TCU; retiring all three batters he faced in the 10th.
The two teams will conclude their three-game series Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. EST.
Note:
East Carolina senior right-handed pitcher Davey Penny sustained an injury to his jaw in Friday night's game against TCU. Penny was hit by line drive in the sixth inning and forced to leave the game. He was examined by TCU medical officials at the park Friday night and will be reexamined by ECU team doctors on Monday.
