TCU tops Oral Roberts, survives another day at the College World Series

TCU survived for another day at the 2023 College World Series, knocking off Oral Roberts to send the Golden Eagles home one day after dispatching the Virginia Cavaliers.

The Horned Frogs posted an impressive 6-1 win, a win that didn’t really create a lot of nerves down the stretch.

“We’re feeling really good. I think our pitching was unbelievable tonight, which is awesome,” first baseman Cole Fontenelle said after the win. “We love to see that. I think we’re going to have guys that can pitch and we’re going to try to keep it going. So yeah, we’re feeling really good.”

TCU used several different pitchers in the game, something that’s often common in the College World Series when trying to play out of the loser’s bracket.

Cam Brown, Luke Savage, Hunter Hodges and Cohen Feser combined to give up just one run, working around seven hits allowed to do so. They gave up some scoring opportunities but were frequently able to work out of jams.

One of the real highlight defensive plays was a sick play by third baseman Brayden Taylor. Taylor ranged across toward second base, snagged the ball and spun in a 360, firing the throw to first almost simultaneously for an out.

“I was like how is he going to? He wasn’t looking at me and he’s already throwing it, and I’m like, ‘Is this going to be to me?’ and it was right on the money,” Fontenelle said. “That’s what he does. At the end I wasn’t really surprised, but to see that, that was an awesome play.”

ESPN interviewed Fontenelle after the game and asked him about what the extra time on the trip to Omaha has meant to him.

His Grandpa Wayne had been in touch, encouraging him to see some of his family roots while in town.

“Yeah, he just said, ‘You’re going to Omaha,’ he’s like, ‘We’re part of the Omaha tribe, so this will be a little homecoming,'” Fontenelle shared. “My parents and I went to the Fontenelle Forest and they have a little exhibit, we saw some of the history of our family there. It’s been pretty neat, this whole experience has been pretty awesome for me.”

TCU, in the middle of an up and down season, will look to extend the stay in Omaha a little longer still. The Horned Frogs have proven quite resilient not just at the College World Series, but all season.

Fontenelle credits coach Nick Saarloos with that.

“He’s been awesome. When we were at our worst he really told us to trust ourselves and trust that we can get back to where we were,” Fontenelle said. “It’s kind of hard to believe sometimes when you’re at your very worst, and he always believed it. Having him on our side was unbelievable, it’s been awesome.”

With the win, TCU advances to face Florida in the semifinals of the College World Series. The Horned Frogs will need to beat the Gators twice to move to the championship series.

The two teams will meet on Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET.