Mitchell Traver struck out nine in the first seven innings, Evan Skoug hit a three-run homer and Nolan Brown drove in two runs to power TCU in a 9-6 victory against Central Connecticut State in the opening round of the Fort Worth Regional in a game that ended after midnight Saturday because of a second day of rain.
Traver (4-1), a senior right-hander, won as the NCAA postseason opening pitcher for TCU for a third consecutive season. He defeated Sacred Heart in 2015 and Oral Roberts last season, allowing no runs in either start.
He exited after a leadoff walk in the eighth inning, and it scored on a two-out double against Cal Coughlin.