Box Score

FORT WORTH, Texas – The undefeated against the winless. The game set up for just another day at the office for seventh-ranked TCU's ace Matt Purke, who entered the game a perfect 18-0 for his collegiate career, against a Houston Baptist team still in search of its first win of the 2011 season.

The Huskies took advantage of a couple of Horned Frog errors to score four runs off Purke, who didn't make it through the fourth inning, and HBU held on for a 7-4 victory over TCU Saturday afternoon at Lupton Stadium.

Junior leftfielder David Pfuntner went 2-for-5 with a double, three RBIs and a run scored for the Huskies (1-14), while junior shortstop Collin Hetzler went 2-for-2 and junior rightfielder Kolby Arnst went 2-for-3 with a double and three runs. Junior third baseman Ryan Bacak also drove in a pair of runs, while freshman second baseman Garrett Tully scored a pair for HBU.

Brance Rivera and Brett Johnson each went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run, while Taylor Featherston went 2-for-3 for TCU (9-5). Rivera hit his second home run of the season.

Senior righthander Stephen Nikonchik (1-1) threw six solid innings, allowing four runs, only two earned, on nine hits and struck out three while walking none to earn the win for the Huskies. The HBU bullpen then held TCU hitless over the final three innings, with sophomore Tyler McCarty earning his fourth career save by pitching a perfect ninth. Purke (2-1) took the loss for the first time in his TCU career, allowing four runs, only one earned, on three hits, while striking out four and issuing three walks in 3.2 innings. Trent Appleby allowed two runs on three hits in 4.2 innings of relief for the Horned Frogs.

Just as they did Friday night, the Huskies scored the first run of the game. Arnst and Tully drew back-to-back two out walks in the second inning, and Bacak smacked a single to rightcenter to give HBU a 1-0 lead. TCU came back with a run in the bottom of the third as Kyle Von Tungeln and Rivera reached on back-to-back bunt singles. Jantzen Witte then tied the game with an RBI groundout.

HBU answered with three runs in the top of the fourth as senior designated hitter Beau Warren led off with a walk followed by a single to left by Arnst, but Warren was put out at third on an attempted sacrifice by Tully. Arnst scored as junior catcher Asai Adame reached on a error by the shortstop, then Pfuntner ripped a two-run double down the leftfield line to put the Huskies up, 4-1, and chase Purke from the game.

TCU put up single runs in the fourth and fifth to cut the lead to 4-3. Jerome Pena singled with one out in the fourth, but was put out as Jimmie Pharr reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to second on a Husky error, then scored on Brett Johnson's singled up the middle. In the fifth, Rivera blasted a solo home run to left, leaving the Huskies' with a one-run lead.

Arnst doubled to lead off the sixth for HBU, advanced to third on a Tully sacrifice, and scored on a Bacak groundout, but TCU stayed within one as Johnson reached on bunt single and scored to make it 5-4 as Josh Elander reached on a fielder's choice and advanced all the way to third on another HBU miscue. Von Tungeln was hit by a pitch, giving the Horned Frogs runners on the corners with one out, but Rivera fouled out to third. Von Tungeln stole second to put both runners in scoring position, but Witte grounded out to end the threat.

Sophomore Scott Moore walked the first two Horned Frogs in the seventh, but freshman Kobie Hajdik got Pena to fly out to left. The runners moved up on a passed ball, so Pharr was walked to load the bases with one out, but Johnson grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to once again end a potential TCU rally.

The Huskies added a pair of insurance runs in the ninth, as Tully led off with single to center and Bacak sacrificed him over to second. Adame singled to right to put runners on the corners, and Pfuntner singled to left to give the Huskies a 6-4 lead. Hetzler singled to center, but Adame was thrown out at the plate. Junior first baseman Robbie Buller picked up the run by singling to center to score Pfuntner for the game's final run.

McCarty needed only seven pitches to close the door on the Horned Frogs in the bottom of the ninth and send the Huskies to their first win of the season.