Roommates lead TCU to win vs. Texas A&M
Howard has 12 Ks as Horned Frogs escape elimination, send Aggies home
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, Texas.
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 Horned Frogs’ season going with a 4-1 win against Texas A&M in a College World Series elimination game Tuesday at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb.
“Big Game Howie,” as Howard is known around the program, flummoxed the Aggies with pinpoint location of his fastball and cutter. The Oakland 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 (41-23) have gone two-games-and-out in their past three appearances and have lost eight in a row in Omaha.
Texas A&M starter Stephen Kolek ( 4- 5) was knocked out in 2⅔ innings, matching his shortest start of the season.
Howard (12-3) left after George Janca doubled leading off the eighth, having struck out 12 for the second time in four starts.
“He was coming in both sides of the plate with his fastball, and he was getting us to chase a little bit,” the Aggies’ Cole Bedford said. “He’s an adrenaline guy. When he gets in a groove, he’s got good stuff.”
Merrill graduated from Millard West High School in Omaha and passed on a chance to walk on at Nebraska, instead playing two years at Iowa Western Community College.
The St. Louis Cardinals drafted him in the 15th round in 2015, but instead of signing, he went to TCU for the chance to someday return to his hometown to play in the CWS.
He made the all-tournament team a year ago, and he made another memory in his first at-bat Tuesday, drilling Kolek’s 1-2 pitch for his sixth homer of the season and seventh of his TCU career. Evan Skoug doubled in a run and Elliott Barzilli had an RBI single to make it 4-0.
Howard, who normally keeps to himself in the dugout on days he’s pitching, said he went nuts when he saw the ball leave the yard.
Since the Big 12 Conference tournament, Howard is 4-0 with a 1.20 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 30 innings. Howard’s 12 strikeouts tied for most in a CWS game since the event moved to TD Ameritrade Park in 2011.
Other game
Florida 5, Louisville 1: Second baseman Deacon Liput went 2 for 3 with a home run, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored to help lead Florida (2-0) to a win against Louisville (1-1). Austin Langworthy also homered for the Gators. Starter Brady Singer pitched seven scoreless innings to earn the victory.