For the second week in a row, the Frogs bats have come alive after a quiet Friday at the plate as they topped GCU 17-9.

In the top of the first Grand Canyon was able to plate a run after a leadoff double and a single to follow up. The runner scored on a fielder’s choice on the third batter and then Jared Janczak was able to get out of the inning.

Janczak struggled again in the second, but got out of a jam after giving up a leadoff single, walking a batter, and hitting a batter. In the third, not much was working for Janczak either after he walked the first two batters. He gave up a double and then his day was over.

TCU head baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle said that since Janczak has been coming off two surgeries, he’s now the older guy who’s trying to figure out what will make him feel the best between starts and figure out what workload he needs to do during the week. He says that Janczak needs to figure out what to touch up on during the week and when he needs to rest. The veteran starter just wasn’t all there with his command on Saturday, but should return to normal shape with time.

Jake Eissler came in during the 3rd inning jam and was brilliant once again. After giving up a home run to the second batter he faced, the junior righty settled in to retire the next 16 batters he faced. Eissler finished the day with 64 pitches in 5 2/3 innings of relief effort while giving up one run on one hit and striking out seven with no walks. The righty had another stellar relief effort on Saturday, and he should be a staple in this TCU bullpen.

For the Frogs at the plate the fun started in the third. With two outs, Porter Brown got the momentum after walking on a 10-pitch at bat. Josh Watson and Austin Henry followed with singles to load the bases. Jake Guenther came up with the bases loaded and delivered with an opposite field two-run double. Zach Humphreys walked on four pitches and then Johnny Rizer came through with the big hit by way of a go-ahead three-run home run to dead center to put the Frogs ahead for good. This sparked a comeback for the Frogs and ignited the fire for the rest of the game.

The Frogs went on to score four in the fourth, three in the sixth, and four more in the seventh. The team ended up having five home runs on the day, the biggest being a grand slam by Humphreys in the seventh to give him his second long ball of the day. Humphreys came into the contest Saturday in a bit of a hole as he hadn’t recorded a hit so far this year. Being one of the older and more experienced guys on the team, Humphreys said that nobody had gotten on to him, and that the slump was a matter of getting his timing down. He also spoke highly of Eissler, who is his roommate. Eissler said that when they walked out of their apartment today, he told Humphreys that today was his day. He said that Humphreys is good at keeping his composure and doesn’t let his highs get too high or let his lows get too low. We certainly saw that composure today and his patience paid off after getting his first two hits of the year on two home runs.

While having six different players with multiple-hit games, the Frogs had plenty of pop today. Guenther had two doubles, Rizer was a double short of the cycle, and Humphreys hit two dingers. Rizer, Austin Henry, and Conner Shepherd all tallied home runs as well.

This year has been all or nothing for this Frogs offense. The team has scored at least nine runs in all four of the wins, and 0 and 1 run in the two losses. The team looks to carry the solid pitching and hot bats over to Sunday where Frog fans will get to see the new lefty Brandon Williamson for the first time.

TCU returns to action on Sunday at 1 and look to keep the momentum going into next week when they play more well-respected programs in Sam Houston State, Houston, Texas A&M, and Rice.