Frogs hold Southwest Texas scoreless in win
TCU grabs commanding win before hitting road
By Evan Erwin
Skiff Staff

It was all TCU from the start Tuesday night in its matchup with Southwest Texas (14-17, 5-3 Southland Conference). The Frogs (19-13, 6-3 Conference USA) scored four runs in the first inning and didn’t look back in their 8-0 victory.

The lead came from the hands of senior pitcher Mike Settle, senior outfielder Chris Meeks and senior catcher Justin Hatcher. Each one contributed one RBI.

After scoring in the first inning, the Frogs were held off the scoreboard until the third inning when the final runs of the game were scored. The four runs scored in the third inning came mainly at the hands of senior infielder Jared Lundeen who managed to hit a three-run homer to left field. This was his fourth start this season because of a hand injury, which kept him on the disabled list for six weeks.

Head coach Lance Brown was happy that Lundeen could contribute on offense.

“Finally Lundeen is well,” Brown said. “Initially, we had expected him to be at fifth or sixth in the lineup for us, but he has been hurt all year, so this was big for us.”

Lundeen said he anticipated his return more than anyone.

“The hand is 100 percent; I feel healthy finally,” Lundeen said. “I managed to get a good swing at an offspeed pitch. I knew I had to swing as hard as I could because the wind was blowing in.”

Senior pitcher Kyle Shoemaker had his best outing of the season. He only allowed three hits in seven innings of work in his first combined shutout with TCU. He improved his overall record to 3-2.

“Everything was working great,” Shoemaker said. “The four-run lead in the first helped me relax quite a bit. The defense did a great job. I have a lot of confidence in them.”

Brown said Shoemaker had five good outings.

“We have had a tough mid-week schedule,” he said. “He has faced some tough teams.”

Another positive note for the Frogs was the performances of their bullpen. After Shoemaker’s exit from the game, sophomore relievers Clint Mokry and Patrick Newburn didn’t allow any Bobcat runners to reach base.

The Frogs will hit the road starting Friday when they take on Memphis for a three-game series. Friday’s game starts at 7 p.m.

Evan Erwin