TCU 4, Texas A&M 1

Florida’a Nelson Maldonado, left, and Jonathan India celebrate after they scored on a three-run home run by

before Liput drove a low 1-2 pitch into the bullpen for his second homer in four games and third of the season. He celebrated in the dugout by dumping a bucket of ice water over the head of a Gators staff member.

Singer hummed along through six innings, striking out eight, walking none and limiting the Cardinals to three singles. Louisville broke through for a run in the seventh when Brendan McKay doubled and scored on Colin Lyman’s two-out single. A base hit and walk followed, but the Cardinals

left the bases loaded when Logan Taylor grounded out. THAT HURT » Florida’s Maldonado, already playing on a bad ankle, hurt his right shoulder diving back to third base on a pickoff attempt in the fourth. The athletic trainer and coach Kevin O’Sullivan tended to Maldonado, who stayed in the game after moving his arms to loosen up. WHAT’S THE COUNT? » A discrepancy on the ball-strike count arose in the third inning when Louisville’s Taylor took first base on a full count rather than a ball four. Home-plate umpire Troy Fullwood went to the video review area and put the headset on even though it was not a reviewable situation. Fullwood ordered Taylor to return to the batter’s box, and McClure struck him out on the next pitch. UP NEXT » Florida plays Friday in the Bracket 2 final against the winner of the Louisville-TCU elimination game on Thursday.

Roommates Brian Howard and Ryan Merrill are going to have plenty to talk about around their apartment whenever they and the rest of the TCU Horned Frogs return to Fort Worth.

Howard matched his career high with 12 strikeouts in seven-plus innings. Merrill, playing before friends and family in his hometown, homered to start a three-run third inning and the roomies helped keep the Frogs’ season going with a 4-1 win over Texas A&M in a College World Series elimination game.

“Big Game Howie,” as Howard is known around the program, flummoxed the Aggies with pinpoint location of his fastball and cutter. The Athletics’ eighthround draft pick struck out six of the first seven batters he faced and held the Aggies scoreless until Braden Shewmake’s RBI groundout in the sixth inning.

“I think today was probably the best stuff I had all season,” Howard said. “I’m pumped I didn’t walk anybody. I didn’t give up any free bases. I felt like I was attacking the strike zone from the beginning, and I was able to carry that through.”

The Frogs (48-16) avoided going 0-2 for the first time in five all-time CWS appearances. The Aggies (4123) have gone two-gamesand-out in their last three appearances and have lost eight in a row in Omaha. AGGIES’ FOIL » This is the third straight year TCU has eliminated the Aggies from the NCAA Tournament. It’s the eighth time one team has eliminated the same team in three consecutive seasons in any round of the tournament. IT’S ABOUT THE K’S » TCU, with 14 strikeouts on Tuesday, has had 10 or more in 28 games this season. The Frogs had 40 strikeouts in 24 innings against the Aggies this season.

NATI HARNIK — ASSOCIATED PRESS