Fort Worth, Texas ? TCU used a three-run fifth inning to slip past Kansas, 4-2, on Friday in Big 12 baseball.
KU took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when Matt McLaughlin singled home Joven Afenir.
TCU went up 3-1 in the fifth, then scored again in the eighth for a 4-1 lead.
Kansas added a run in the ninth when Afenir scored on an infield ground out by Owen Taylor.
Both teams totaled nine hits and two errors.
Ben Krauth (7-4) took the loss although he didn’t allow an earned run and struck out six in 6 1/3 innings. A error by shortstop McLaughlin led to three unearned runs.
“We made a bad defensive play there behind Krauth,” KU coach Ritch Price said. “We could have rolled up a double-play ball there and had nobody on with two outs, but to his credit, with the bases loaded he gets another double-play ball. His pitches were not as sharp as they have been in his previous starts. He got behind in the count a lot from the first inning on, but at the same time, he still got us into the seventh inning.”
The Jayhawks fell to 22-29 overall and 7-12 in the Big 12 while TCU improved to 38-9 and 14-5.
The two teams are scheduled to play game two of the three-game series at 1 p.m. today. The series concludes with a 1 p.m. game on Sunday.
Kansas 000 100 001 — 2 9 2
TCU 000 030 01x — 4 9 2
W — Preston Morrison (11-1). L — Ben Krauth (7-4). S — Riley Ferrell (12).
2B — Connor McKay, KU.
KU highlights: Matt McLaughlin 3-for-4, RBI; Owen Taylor, 2-for-4, RBI; Joven Afenir 2-for-3, 2 runs; McKay 1-for-4; Michael Tinsley 1-for-4; Krauth 0 earned runs, 6 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.
