Army Narrowly Defeated by No. 21 TCU

Sunday, March 13

Fort Worth, TX

2 PM

Army West Point

3-11

TCU

11-4

Army

TCU

Army Narrowly Defeated by No. 21 TCU

March 13, 2022 | Baseball

Box Score

FORT WORTH, Texas. – The Army West Point baseball team competed in another hard-fought battle on Sunday afternoon at Charlie & Marie Lupton Stadium, but ultimately fell 5-2 to No. 21 TCU in the series finale.

The Black Knights (3-11) made things interesting in the top of the ninth, bringing the tying run into the on-deck circle after a pinch-hit single from Sam Ruta, but the team was unable to pull off the upset. Army outhit its host 9-7 while stranding nine runners throughout the day.

Kevin Dubrule highlighted the offensive effort, going 3-for-4 at the plate with one run. He was one of two Black Knights to crank out multiple hits, as Nick Manesis chipped in a pair (2-for-3) while also tallying one RBI.

For the third-consecutive outing, the Cadets were the first to score and put up two runs in the opening frame on a pair of RBI singles from Ross Friedrick and Manesis. Both Hunter Meade and Dubrule crossed home plate on the hits, boosting Army to a 2-0 lead.

Though starting pitcher Mike Ruggieri made the Horned Frogs leave the tying run stranded in the bottom of the first, he got into trouble in the next inning when he walked in a pair of runs. Connelly Early came out to take over with just one out on the board and minimized the damage, allowing only one of the three inherited runners to score. By the end of the frame, TCU had claimed a 3-2 lead which it never looked back from.

Army's bats went cold after the early attack and the team was held scoreless for the remainder of the day. TCU added insurance runs in both the fifth and eighth innings, using an RBI groundout and an RBI single to extend the lead to its final margin of victory at 5-2.

Ruggieri (0-3), one of four Cadet arms to appear, was tagged with the loss. Both Early and Sean Dennehy were responsible for the Horned Frogs' other two runs, while Trevor Finan, who faced two batters in the bottom of the eighth, emerged unscathed.

Coach's Corner
"Proud of the work these guys have put in so far. We have a long way to go we look forward to getting back to West Point and getting ready for Elon next weekend. Thank you to all the great Army fans who have been out to support us everywhere we have played it has been awesome to see you at the these different venues and very much appreciated. Go Army." - Head Coach Jim Foster

What's Next
The Black Knights will have a few days off before their next series, which will be at Elon. Army will play three games from Friday, March 18 through Sunday, March 20 at Latham Park. Each of the games will be carried by FloBaseball.

Follow Along
For complete coverage of Army West Point Baseball, follow the Black Knights on Twitter and Instagram at @ArmyWP_Baseball and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com.