Utes Fall to TCU, 8-3

Friday, May 4

Franklin Covey Field

6:00 PM

University of Utah

21-23, 9-7

TCU

35-11, 16-2

TCU Horned Frogs

Utah Utes

5/4/2007 12:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

May 4, 2007

Box Score

SALT LAKE CITY - The No. 23-ranked TCU Horned Frogs scored seven runs off Utah starter Stephen Fife Friday night at Franklin Covey Field. That was enough for the league leaders, who took an 8-3 win over the Utes in Mountain West Conference action.

TCU (35-11, 16-2 MWC) scored two runs in the top of the second, when Andrew Walker homered to deep left field off of Fife. Utah (21-23, 9-7 MWC) answered in the bottom of the frame. The Utes got an RBI groundout from catcher Jesse Shriner and a run-scoring single off the bat of third baseman Erich Kemp to knot the game at 2-2.

But the Horned Frogs kept coming. In the third, TCU added three runs. The big blow was a two-out, two-run double from Hunt Woodruff. The Horned Frogs led 5-2. Utah threatened to get some of those runs back in the bottom of the third. With one out, the Utes loaded the bases with three straight singles against TCU starter Jake Arietta. But Arietta got Utah right fielder John Welsh to ground into an inning-ending double play, ending the threat.

Utah would not put another runner in scoring position until the eighth inning. Meanwhile, the Horned Frog bats got two more runs for Arietta in the fourth. Steven Trout homered to lead off the inning and Clint Arnold later doubled in another run to put TCU up 7-2.

The Utes finally got to Arietta again in the eighth. First baseman Jay Brossman walked and left fielder Dustin Hennis singled, putting Brossman at third. One batter later, Welsh singled to right field, scoring Brossman to make it 7-3. But Utah would get no closer. TCU added an insurance run in the top of the ninth to go up 8-3.

The Horned Frogs' Sam Demel tossed the final 1 1/3 innings to pick up his ninth save of the season. Arietta took the win and moved to 7-3, allowing three runs in 7 1/3 innings. Fife suffered the loss for Utah, falling to 5-2. He allowed seven runs in three innings.

Woodruff led the way at the plate for TCU. He was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and one run scored. Hennis was 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored to pace the Utah offense. Brossman was 1-for-3, but his one hit tied the Ute career record for hits. He now has 291 hits in his Utah career.

Utah and TCU are slated to play game two of their three-game set Saturday afternoon. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.

-UU-