MORE SPORTS

Fayetteville Regional: TCU defeats No. 3 Arkansas 20-5 – Game Recap

Published

1 year ago

June 4, 2023

Connor Goodson

Photo by Gary Cosby Jr. - Tuscaloosa News

Arkansas baseball had a Sunday afternoon to forget.

In front of a packed Baum-Walker Stadium, the TCU Horned Frogs put on an offensive masterclass. They were able to score six runs in the 1st inning and end the 2nd inning up by double-digit runs, 11-1. Tre Richardson made history going by going 5-6 with 3 HRs (back-to-back grand slams) and 11 RBIs. The 11 RBIs tie the NCAA Tournament record for most in a single game.

Arkansas trailed 14-1 before a lightning delay paused things for 58 minutes. Despite a break in the action, things didn’t change as Arkansas wasn’t really able to get enough going offensively to put the result in question.

A second lightning delay paused things in the middle of the 8th inning, but TCU was comfortably ahead 17-5 at that point. TCU would add three more runs in the 9th inning to take this one 20-5.

Tavian Josenberger led the Diamond Hogs offensively, going 2-4 with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs. Starter Hagen Smith was credited with the loss after only lasting one inning. He gave up 6 hits and 8 earned runs on just 42 total pitches.

Arkansas is now in a very difficult position. They’ll have to regroup and face Santa Clara in an elimination game. First pitch is slated to start 8:00 p.m. Sunday – almost an hour after their game with TCU ended.

Here’s an inning-by-inning recap of Sunday afternoon’s 20-5 loss to TCU.

Starting Lineups:

Arkansas

From the desk of DVH 🐗 pic.twitter.com/EjLopbOKXr

— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) June 4, 2023

Arkansas second baseman Peyton Holt is listed as OUT for today’s game with a back injury. Holt appeared to have injured his back towards the end of Friday’s win over Santa Clara.

CF – Tavian Josenberger
DH – Kendall Diggs
1B – Brady Slavens

3B – Caleb Cali
RF – Jace Bohrofen
LF – Jared Wegner

2B – Harold Coll
C – Parker Rowland
SS – John Bolton

Starting Pitcher: Hagen Smith – LHP (Season: 8-1, 2.69 ERA, 1.27 WHIP in 67 innings)

TCU

CF – Elijah Nunez
C – Karson Bowen

3B – Brayden Taylor
1B – Cole Fontenelle
2B – Tre Richardson

DH – Kurtis Byrne
SS – Anthony Silva
LF – Luke Boyers

RF – Austin Davis

Starting Pitcher: Sam Stoutenborough – RHP (Season: 3-0, 4.31 ERA, 1.39 WHIP in 54.1 innings)

1st Inning

Top – TCU

Nunez grounds out to third for the first out of the game.
Full count, Bowen watches ball four and is walked. First TCU batter on base for the day.
Taylor gets one to drop in right field to a base hit.

Fontenelle gets clipped by an 0-2 pitch and is sent to first. Bases loaded for TCU.
Richardson sends an opposite field bomb into right-center for a grand slam. TCU leads 4-0
Smith issues a four-pitch walk to Byrne. One out and one on base for TCU.

Silva gets one through into right field for a base hit. Byrne advances to third. Silva steals second.
Boyers takes a 2-2 pitch and is struck out looking for the second out of the game.
Davis sends one into right field for a base hit. Two runs scored. TCU leads 6-0

Davis gets caught stealing second for the final out of the frame.

Bottom – Arkansas

Josenberger sends a 3-2 pitch into deep right field for a leadoff homerun. TCU leads 6-1
Diggs gets behind in the count and strikes out swinging. First out of the frame.

Slavens strikes out swinging at a 1-2 change-up for the second out of the frame.
Cali grounds out to short to end the inning.

2nd Inning

Top – TCU

Nunez singles to left for a leadoff base hit.
Bowen sends one into right-center, and it drops for a base hit. Nunez is able to advance to third. LHP Zack Morris enters for Hagen Smith.
Taylor sends a line-drive into right field for a base hit. One run scored. TCU leads 7-1

Fontenelle gets walked and the bases are loaded again for TCU.
Richardson hits his second grand slam in as many at-bats. TCU leads 11-1
Byrne strikes out swinging for the first out of the inning.

Silva flies out to center field for the second out of the inning.
Boyers flies out to left field to end the top of the inning.

Bottom – Arkansas

Bohrofen sends a one-hopper down the first base line and is retired for the first out of the frame.

Wegner grounds one to short and is thrown out at first for the second out of the frame.
Coll pops one up at the plate. Bowen makes the catch for the final out of the inning.

3rd Inning

Top – TCU

(ARK) RHP Austin Ledbetter enters for Zack Morris. Davis lines one straight to short where Bolton makes the grab for the first out.
Nunez singles to left field for a base hit.
Nunez steals second.

Bowen gets hit by a pitch and advances to first.
Taylor hits a bomb into deep right field for a three-run homerun. TCU leads 14-1
Fontenelle strikes out swinging at an 0-2 breaking ball. Second out of the inning.

Richardson strikes out swinging at a 1-2 pitch to end the frame. Game paused due to lightning.

Bottom – Arkansas

Rowland hits one into shallow left for a leadoff single.
Bolton flies out into right field for the first out of the frame.

Josenberger reaches first on a fielder’s choice, Rowland is thrown out at second.
Diggs sends a ground ball to second where Josenberger is tagged out to end the inning.

4th Inning

Top – TCU

Catcher Hudson Polk enters for Parker Rowland. Byrne hits a pop-up to short where Bolton makes the play for the first out of the inning.
Silva hits a line drive to second and Coll is there for the grab for the second out of the inning.
Boyers flies out to deep center to end the frame.

Bottom – Arkansas

Slavens grounds out to first to start the frame.
Cali gets a single to drop in right field for a base hit.
Bohrofen strikes out swinging for the second out of the frame.

Wegner hits a fly ball to second and Richardson makes the play to end the inning.

5th Inning

Top – TCU

Davis flies out to deep center for the first out of the inning.

Nunez hits a double down the first base line and it stays fair.
Bowen hits a ground ball to short where Bolton makes the play for the second out. Nunez advances to third.
Taylor hits a liner into right field but Bohrofen is there to end the frame.

Bottom – Arkansas

With a full count, Coll strikes out swinging for the first out of the frame.
Polk sends one up the middle for a base hit.
(ARK) Jayson Jones pinch hitting for John Bolton. Jones strikes out swinging on a 3-2 pitch for the second out.

Josenberger sends a 1-1 pitch deep into right-center for a two-run homer. That’s his second homer of the game. TCU leads 14-3
Diggs grounds out to first to end the inning.

6th Inning

Top – TCU

Fontenelle gets one to fall in shallow left field for a leadoff base hit.
Richardson hits his third homer of the game, once again to deep right field. TCU leads 16-3
Byrne hits a fly ball into right field and Bohrofen makes the play for the first out of the inning.

Silva lines out to short for the second out of the inning.
Boyers flies out into deep center field to end the frame.

Bottom – Arkansas

Slavens hits a ground ball into shallow right field and is thrown out to start the inning.

Cali grounds out to third for the second out of the inning.
Bohrofen sends a solo shot into deep right field for a homerun. TCU leads 16-4
Wegner flies out to Fontenelle at first base to end the inning.

7th Inning

Top – TCU

(ARK) 3B Ben McLaughlin enters for Caleb Cali. Davis grounds out to third for the first out of the inning.
Nunez gets his fourth hit of the game with a double down the right field line.

Bowen gets one to drop in shallow right-center field. One run scored. TCU leads 17-4
Taylor reaches first on a fielder’s choice. Two outs, one on base.
Fontenelle flies out to deep left field where Wegner makes the play at the fence to end the frame.

Bottom – Arkansas

(TCU) RHP Hunter Hodges enters for Sam Stoutenborough. Coll with a leadoff homer into left-center field. TCU leads 17-5
Polk flies out to deep center field for the first out of the frame.
Jones flies out to left field for the second out.

Hodges is able to strike Josenberger out looking to end the inning.

8th Inning

Top – TCU

(ARK) CF Mason Neville enters for Tavian Josenberger. (ARK) 1B Reese Robinett enters for Brady Slavens.

Richardson reaches first after hitting a grounder to McLaughlin, who fumbled the throw.
Byrne hits a fly ball to center field where Neville is there to make the play. One out and one on base for TCU.
Silva singles to center field. Richardson advances to third base.

Ledbetter is able to strike Boyers out looking at a 2-2 pitch. Two outs and two on base for TCU.
Davis is hit by a 2-2 pitch to load the bases for TCU.
(TCU) Logan Maxwell pinch hitting for Elijah Nunez. Maxwell strikes out swinging to end the frame.

Bottom – Arkansas

Game paused due to lightning. (TCU) RHP Mason Speaker enters for Hunter Hodges.
Diggs strikes out swinging at a 1-2 pitch for the first out of the frame.
Robinett flies out to deep left field for the second out of the frame.

McLaughlin hits a base hit into right field on a full count.
Bohrofen strikes out swinging to end the inning.

9th Inning

Top – TCU

(ARK) RHP Ben Bybee enters for Austin Ledbetter. Bowen gets one through the right side for a base hit.
Taylor swings at the first pitch and sends one into left field for a base hit.
Fontenelle singles one up the first base line and into shallow right for a base hit. One run scores, Taylor advances to third. TCU leads 18-5

Richardson continues his monster game, getting one up the middle for a base hit. One run scores, Fontenelle advances to third. TCU leads 19-5
Richardson advances to second on a wild pitch.
Byrne grounds out to second for the first out of the inning. One run scores, Richardson advances to third. TCU leads 20-5