Kansas used a four-run eighth inning and a strong start from left-hander Taylor Turski to upset TCU, 7-3, in the first round of the Big 12 baseball tournament Wednesday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City.
KU advanced in the winner’s bracket of the double-elimination tournament to face the winner of the Oklahoma/Texas game Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Turski, a junior left-hander, pitched one out into the seventh inning and limited the Horned Frogs to two earned runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out eight. Left-hander Blake Weiman earned the victory in relief and Steven Villines pitched a scoreless ninth.
“I want to compliment Taylor’s toughness and his competitiveness,” Kansas coach Ritch Price said. “He had a sore elbow last week at Texas Tech and it was still bothering him going into today. He gave us a masterful performance against one of the toughest teams in the country, and I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Left fielder Devin Foyle also had a big day, singling in the winning run in the top of the eighth and making a spectacular diving catch in foul territory for the final out of the bottom of the inning.
Kansas fell behind 2-0 in the second but took the lead with a three-run third inning that included Matt McLaughlin’s two-run triple.TCU tied it up with a run in the seventh and KU turned a leadoff walk, four singles and a sacrifice fly into four runs in the eighth. Brett Vosik delivered a bases-loaded single to drive home the final two runs.