TCU Cruises Past Houston to Kick Off Big 12 Baseball Tourney With Authority
ARLINGTON, Texas – If anyone was wondering whether TCU Baseball came to Globe Life Field ready to make a statement, well, they got their answer Thursday night. The Horned Frogs didn’t just win, they controlled every bit of their 7-1 victory over No. 11 seedHouston, setting the tone early and never really letting up.
From the first pitch, it felt like TCU was locked in. Tommy LaPour was nails on the mound. Cole Cramer delivered early. And just like that, the No. 3 seed Frogs punched their ticket to the semifinal round, where they’ll square off against No. 2 Kansas on Friday evening.
“We’re not here just to play baseball. We’re here to win,” outfielder Noah Franco said postgame, grinning as he wiped a streak of eye black off his cheek. “That’s the standard.”
TCU’s offense showed up, sure, but LaPour’s pitching performance might’ve been the real headline. The junior right-hander spun 6.1 innings of lights-out baseball, giving up just two hits and one walk while striking out six. It was clean, composed, and exactly the kind of start the Frogs needed to keep their pitching staff fresh for what’s ahead.
LaPour improved to 8-2 on the season and never looked rattled. Even in the middle innings, when the Cougars were starting to take bigger hacks, he stayed cool and confident, dotting corners and getting swings and misses on the outside edge.
The Frogs didn’t waste any time. Cramer knocked in the first run with an RBI single in the first inning, and then the real damage came in the second. It was that kind of inning that just wears down an opponent, gritty at-bats, runners grinding out extra bases, and eventually, the payoff.
Two-run singles by both Cramer and Franco helped blow the game open, putting TCU up 5-0 before most Houston fans had settled into their seats.
Franco wasn’t done either. In the fourth inning, he launched his 11th home run of the year, an absolute missile over the right-field wall that had the dugout roaring and the Frogs up 6-0.
They added a final run in the seventh when Nolan Traeger ripped an RBI single, and by that point, it was more of a victory lap than a baseball game.
Offensively, the Horned Frogs were balanced and patient. 10 hits from top to bottom of the lineup. Everyone got involved, and they weren’t chasing. It looked like a team that had learned from its April slump and was peaking at the right time.
The bullpen held up strong too. Louis Rodriguez and Cohen Feser each delivered in relief, with Feser tossing a clean eighth. Trever Baumler came in to close things out in the ninth and recorded a strikeout before Houston finally pushed across a run on a Xavier Perez RBI single. But that was all the Cougars could manage.
Now, comes the fun part Kansas. TCU and the Jayhawks have history, even if it’s short-lived. The Frogs swept Kansas during their regular-season series and will look to do it again Friday night with a shot at the Big 12 Championship Game on the line.
“They’re a good team. You don’t get to this point by accident,” said head coach Kirk Saarloos when asked about the Jayhawks. “But we know who we are too. We’ve been through the fire a bit this season, and that’s only made us tougher.”
The semi-final matchup is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday. Expect intensity. Expect drama. And don’t be surprised if the Frogs bring the same energy they brought against Houston.
