Frogs looking to rebound
By Evan Erwin
Skiff Staff

The baseball team will face off against in-state rival Southwest Texas 6:30 p.m. today at Lupton Stadium in the first of just four home games in April.

SWTU (14-16, 5-3 Southland Conference) has beaten the likes of No. 13 Texas and No. 10 Baylor, a team who made quick work of the Frogs, earlier in the season. The Bobcats are riding a six-game winning streak that stretches back to their win over Mcneese St. March 23rd. The Frogs will likely start senior southpaw Kyle Shoemaker. The Oklahoma native will look to improve upon his 2-2 record and 5.64 ERA against a team that is only batting .260.

“They are sort of inconsistant,” head coach Lance Brown said. “They beat some good teams, but they’ve lost to some bad teams.”

The Frogs (18-13, 6-3 Conference USA) will be on the road most of the month playing conference foes Memphis and Alabama-Birmingham.

TCU, who is currently tied with Houston for third place in C-USA, lost two of its three games against the Cougars this weekend.

Before the Houston series, the Frogs were in a first place tie with Mississippi State.

This all changed, when the Frogs dropped Friday and Sunday’s games to the Cougars (14-14, 6-3 C-USA).

The Frogs faced formidable odds Friday, when Houston pitcher Brad Sullivan stepped on the mound. Last year when Sullivan faced the Frogs, he held TCU to only one hit in nine innings. This year wasn’t much different. Sullivan struck out 15 TCU batters and only allowed six hits in seven innings, handing TCU a 5-2 loss.

“I just went out there and did what I had to do,” Sullivan said. “They were sitting on my slider, so I had to rely on my fastball.”

The Frogs lost Sunday in a more dramatic fashion.

The game was knotted at four runs until Houston scored two runs in the seventh inning.

The Frogs were only able to answer with one run in the eighth inning, giving Houston a 6-5 win.

The Frogs had more than just the Houston players to deal with Sunday. In a game that was littered with questionable umpiring, fans weren’t the only ones that has something to say about it.

“When umpires aren’t consistent, you lose confidence in the umpire and his zone,” Brown said.

Senior left-fielder Chris Meeks agreed.

“To take a game and put it in the umpires hands like that is just terrible,” Meeks said. “It was terrible. I don’t even feel like the game was in our hands.”

The Frogs did manage to defeat Houston, 5-2, Saturday. The victory marked Brown’s 500th career win as head coach for the Frogs.

“I haven’t really had time to think about it,” Brown said. “I don’t remember any of the others (like getting) 100, 200, 300, and 400 (wins). Maybe this summer, when I am fishing, the importance of 500 wins will hit me.”

e.j.erwin@tcu.edu