No. 17 TCU (1-1) scored the first seven runs and never looked back in an 9-4 victory over UVA (0-2) on the second day of the MLB4 Collegiate Tournament at Salt River Fields.
Making his collegiate debut, Virginia starting pitcher Mike Vasil (Wellesley, Mass) worked two clean innings in which he fanned three batters before TCU broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third. The Horned Frogs 1-2 batters, Porter Brown and Josh Watson, each plated a run with RBI doubles to highlight the three-run inning. Brown and Watson finished the night with four hits apiece.
In what turned into be a four-run fourth inning, also spelled the end for Vasil who gave way to junior Paul Kosanovich (Temple City, Calif.) with two outs in the inning. Kosanovich worked the next 4.1 innings allowed, three earned runs and struck out three batters.
The Cavaliers got on the scoreboard with a three-run fifth inning. The first three Cavalier batters walked before Jack Dragum (Mechanicsville, Va.) scored on a wild pitch. Two hitters later, Brendan Rivoli (Douglassville, Pa.) delivered a two-out single that scored a pair of runs and pulled Virginia within four runs.
Virginia found itself down 9-3 after a TCU insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning and put three runners on in the top of the ninth. A Horned Frog fielding error allowed pinch-runner Drew Hamrock (Roswell, Ga.) to score all the way from first base but the threat was ended when Marcelo Perez struck out the final batter of the game.
Senior Cameron Simmons (Royersford, Pa.) went 2-for-5 with a pair of singles while shortstop Tanner Morris (Crozet, Va.) went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored.
The Cavaliers will play the final game of the inaugural MLB4 Collegiate Tournament on Sunday, squaring off against No. 24 Cal State Fullerton at 5 p.m. EST. Virginia will send junior righthander Noah Murdock to the mound and he will be opposed by freshman righty Michael Knorr.
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Chris Graham
