On Monday night, Gerrit Cole did his best Trevor Bauer impersonation.
Cole ““ starting UCLA’s second game in the College World Series ““ delivered a dominant pitching performance not unlike that of his fellow sophomore on Saturday, leading the Bruins (50-14) to a 6-3 win over TCU.
Cole went eight innings and gave up three runs on five hits. All three runs and four of the hits came in the seventh inning, when TCU (52-13) cut into a 5-0 deficit. He struck out 13 batters.
Cole’s masterful performance came on the heels of Bauer’s gem on Saturday, a game in which the other sophomore right-hander on the UCLA staff fanned 11 Florida Gators in seven strong innings of work while giving up just three runs.
Meanwhile, the Bruins’ offense started off the game by extending its remarkable run of scoring. UCLA scored once in the first inning, again in the second and three times in the third, when freshmen Cody Regis and Jeff Gelalich each homered. By scoring in each of the first three frames, UCLA had a streak in which they scored at least one run in ten consecutive innings dating back to Saturday’s win over Florida.
Through the middle innings, it appeared as if the Bruins were going to coast to an easy victory. Cole was mowing down the Horned Frogs, and the scoreboard continued to read 5-0. But TCU loaded the bases in the seventh and got a two-out triple from Taylor Featherston that scored three runs. UCLA coach John Savage paid a visit to the mound during the inning, but chose to leave Cole in the game. The sophomore went on to pitch the eighth as well before ceding to closer Dan Klein, who gave up a hit but got the final three outs for his tenth save of the season.
The victory guarantees UCLA a spot in the championship of their bracket. The Bruins will not play until Friday night, when they will face the winner of Wednesday’s Florida State-TCU matchup. That team will have to beat UCLA to advance to the final three-game series, while the Bruins will have to win just once thanks to their as-of-yet unblemished record in the bracket.
Compiled by Ryan Eshoff, Bruin Sports senior staff.