West Virginia never found an offensive rhythm Friday night.
TCU right-hander Lance Davis tossed a three-hit complete game and the Horned Frogs used three solo home runs to hand No. 9 West Virginia a 4-0 loss in the series opener at Wagener Field at Kendrick Family Ballpark.
The Mountaineers (36-13, 20-9 Big 12) managed just three hits and struck out six times while being shut out for the first time in Big 12 play this season. Davis allowed only one walk over nine innings and needed just 108 pitches to finish the game.
“I got to give a lot of credit to Lance Davis,” said WVU head coach Steve Sabins. “Obviously, threw an incredible game. He’s gone back-to-back complete games, kept us off balance, never got anything going offensively.”
TCU (33-19, 17-12 Big 12) struck first in the second inning when Preston Gamster blasted a solo homer to deep left field before Kyuss Gargett followed later in the inning with another solo shot to left-center for a 2-0 lead.
West Virginia’s best scoring opportunity came in the third inning after Ben Lumsden singled and Matt Ineich was hit by a pitch with two outs, but Davis escaped the jam by striking out Gavin Kelly.
The Mountaineers put only one runner in scoring position the rest of the night.
Maxx Yehl kept WVU within striking distance for most of the evening, allowing just four hits and two earned runs while striking out nine across 6 2/3 innings. The sophomore entered the seventh inning still trailing only 2-0.
“Maxx Yehl was competitive, gave us a chance to win,” Sabins said. “If you go 6.2 innings, give up two runs, four hits, nine punch outs, you’re going to be in every game.”
TCU added insurance in the eighth inning when Noah Franco launched a pinch-hit solo homer to left field. The Horned Frogs later scored again on a wild pitch and throwing error combination to extend the lead to 4-0.
Sabins also pointed to encouraging signs from the bullpen despite the loss.
JT Huether returned to action with a strikeout in relief, while Dawson Montesa showcased upper-90s velocity in his first bullpen appearance of the season.
“Montesa came out of the bullpen for the first time this season, and it was really electric stuff,” Sabins said. “He was throwing 98 miles an hour with the best slider he’s thrown all season by far.”
Paul Schoenfeld, Ben Lumsden and Matt Ineich accounted for West Virginia’s only hits.
Box score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TCU | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| WVU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
WP: Lance Davis (5-3)
LP: Maxx Yehl (7-2)
TCU leaders
- Preston Gamster: 1 for 4, HR, RBI
- Kyuss Gargett: 1 for 4, HR, RBI
- Noah Franco: Pinch-hit HR
West Virginia leaders
- Matt Ineich: 1 for 3
- Paul Schoenfeld: 1 for 4
- Ben Lumsden: 1 for 3
Up next
TCU at No. 9 WVU, noon, Friday at Kendrick Family Ballpark, ESPN+