Pirates Unable to Hold Off TCU, Fall 8-5
April 02, 2005 | Baseball
FORT WORTH, TEXAS.--A Jake Smith grand slam in the top of the first was not enough as TCU came back to defeat ECU 8-5 Friday night at Lupton Stadium in the first game of the weekend series.
With the loss, ECU falls to 15-10 overall and 1-6 in Conference USA play while TCU improves to 5-2 in conference and 17-9 overall.
Lance Broadway struck out a career-high 12 batters in eight innings en route to his sixth win of the season for TCU. Broadway gave up four runs, none of which were earned, on seven hits, while walking just one. Sam Demel and Shawn Ferguson tossed the final inning for the Horned Frogs.
J.J. Estrada led the way on offense for TCU, batting 3-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Chad Huffman, Austin Adams and Bo Cogbill also tallied multiple hits with each hitter collecting two on the night.
T.J. Hose (1-3) suffered the loss, allowing five runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings of work. The freshman right-hander struck out six batters, walked one, and hit three TCU batters. P.J. Connelly tossed three innings in his eighth start of the season. Connelly allowed three runs on seven hits while walking one. Cody Leggett came on in relief of Hose, throwing 1 1/3 innings, allowing just one hit while walking one and striking out one.
Harrison Eldridge and Adam Witter each collected two hits on the night. Smith, Eldridge, Witter and Drew Costanzo all collected a hit and scored a run for the Pirates.
Smith put the Pirates on the board in the top of the first with a grand slam to left, his fourth homer of the season and ECU's third grand slam this year
TCU got two runs back in the bottom half of the first when Estrada homered to center, scoring Huffman from first.
The Horned Frogs added another run in the fourth when Cogbill scored from third on a Kyle Dahberg double play ground out with no outs.
Estrada collected his third hit of the game in the fifth, scoring Shelby Ford from second to tie the game at four before Cogbill singled in Huffman from third to give TCU the lead. The Horned Frogs then plated two more runs when Dahlberg singled to left, scoring Estrada from third and Adams from second.
Stuart Musslewhite singled to center in the bottom of the seventh, scoring Adams from second to give TCU an 8-4 lead.
Brian Cavanaugh scored in the top of the ninth when Cogbill misplayed an Eldridge pop fly at third, ending the scoring at 8-5.
ECU and TCU will play game two of the weekend series Saturday at 3 p.m. EST at Lupton Stadium.
