Just over 24 hours after defeating Baylor University, the Arizona baseball team couldn’t continue its winning ways in the Fort Worth Regional as it fell to host and No. 1-seeded TCU 11-5 Saturday night in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Horned Frogs got to Arizona starter Kyle Simon early and the Wildcats never gained enough traction to mount a serious comeback.
Simon hit the first two batters of the game, setting the tone for a very forgettable performance where he allowed six runs off of six hits and four walks through 3 2/3 innings.
The sophomore right-hander struggled with his command early on and TCU took advantage, scoring six runs through the first four innings. Arizona had to go to freshman reliever Nick Cunningham to get through the fourth and was forced to burn through seven arms on the night.
TCU, on the other hand, rode the solid performance of freshman lefty starter Matt Purke, who turned in 6 1/3 innings of work while allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits while striking out nine.
Arizona junior designated hitter Josh Garcia blasted his second home run in as many games but it wasn’t enough to keep the Wildcats from falling into the losers bracket where they will play Baylor on Sunday at 2 p.m. for the second time of the regional.
Arizona isn’t out of the playoff picture by any means, but the Wildcats need to win three more games to get out of the Fort Worth Regional.