Taylor leads way as TCU routs Kansas in Big 12 Tournament

ARLINGTON, Texas — Brayden Taylor drove in three runs and scored four times and TCU blew open a close game with a five-run sixth inning to defeat Kansas 14-4 in eight innings on Thursday in a winners bracket game of the Big 12 Tournament.

Taylor, who had four hits, ripped his 21st home run in the sixth inning and reached 60 RBIs for the season with the two-run shot.

No. 4 seed TCU (35-22) advances to the final round of the upper bracket of the double-elimination tournament and will face either No. 8 Kansas or No. 5 Kansas State on Saturday.

Cole Fontenelle tripled to drive in a first-inning run and scored on a throwing error on the play as the Horned Frogs moved out to a 3-1 lead. Kansas kept it close and was within 5-4 heading to the bottom of the sixth inning before TCU broke loose. After an RBI-single by Nunez and a run-scoring groundout by Bowen, Taylor homered to right field. Fontenelle capped the inning by scoring on a fielder’s choice. Fontenelle finished with three runs scored and an RBI.

TCU added a run in the seventh and three in the eighth to invoke the run rule.

Luke Savage (3-3) got the win after allowing three hits and one run in 3 1/3 innings of middle relief. Hunter Cranton (3-4) took the loss.

Michael Brooks, Luke Leto, Cole Elvis and Jake English drove in one run each for Kansas (25-31), which will play Kansas State in a loser-out game on Friday. The Wildcats eliminated top-seeded Texas on Thursday.