LOS ANGELES, Calif. – No. 6 TCU held off top-ranked Vanderbilt 4-2 Sunday afternoon at the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic in Los Angeles.
The Commodores (11-4) battled back to tie the game in the fifth with a pair of extra-base hits. Karl Ellison sparked the two-out rally with a double to left field and was followed by a triple down the right field line by Jeren Kendall to even the game 1-1. But the Horned Frogs (10-2) got a big two-out hit of their own in the sixth to answer and retake the lead. Philip Pfeifer gave up a pair of singles in the inning but had a chance to end the inning before Keaton Jones ripped a double into the left-center field gap to score both runs.
Vandy tried to answer in the bottom of the inning when Rhett Wiseman led off with a double. Zander Wiel brought the Dores within a run with his single but TCU starter Preston Morrison rebounded to get the next two batters and end the threat. TCU tacked on an insurance run in the ninth and closer Riley Ferrell struck out the side in the bottom of the inning to end the game.
Pfeifer was pinned with his first loss of the season allowing three runs on five hits over a season-high five innings. The lefty had not allowed an earned run this season until the two-run double in the sixth. Walker Buehler was sharp in his first weekend start of the season, allowing one run on three hits with five strikeouts over four innings.
Wiseman led the VU offense with three hits to finish the four-game week 10-for-17 (.588). Wiel added two hits in the loss.
Morrison earned the win for TCU allowing two runs on seven hits over six innings. Ferrell nailed down his fifth save of the season by recording the final four outs. Nolan Brown led TCU with two hits and two runs scored as the bottom third of the Horned Frogs’ lineup went 5-for-10.
The Commodores return to action on Tuesday at Hawkins Field for a two-game midweek series with Quinnipiac before opening Southeastern Conference play next weekend at home against Arkansas. The Dores and Bobcats play Tuesday and Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+.
