June 26, 2010

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Bauer pitches Bruins to CWS Championship Series

By Phil Stanton

CollegeBaseballInsider.com Co-Founder

OMAHA, Neb. – He got stronger as the game went on.

Sophomore right-hander Trevor Bauer (left) struck out 13 in eight innings as sixth-seeded UCLA defeated TCU 10-3 Saturday afternoon in Game 13 of the 2010 College World Series in front of 10,907 fans at Rosenblatt Stadium.

The Bruins (51-15) advance to the CWS Championship Series, beginning on Monday at 6 p.m. CT., in search of their first national title.

The Horned Frogs, making their first appearance in Omaha, finished their season with a 54-14 record.

Bauer (12-3) allowed four hits and three runs (two earned) with two walks. He raised his season strikeout total to 165, the top mark in the nation. Bauer threw 135 pitches.

The right-hander made his second start at the 2010 CWS. Bauer went seven innings on June 19 against Florida with six hits, three earned runs, two walks and 11 strikeouts in earning the 11-3 win against the Gators.

Bauer struggled in the early innings. Bryan Holaday crushed a 2-1 pitch halfway up the bleachers in left in the top of the first to give the Frogs an early lead.

It was a short stint for TCU starter Kyle Winkler (12-3), who only faced three hitters. He hit Beau Amaral, gave up a hit-and-run single to Niko Gallego and surrendered a homer to left to Blair Dunlap on a 1-0 pitch as the Bruins took a 3-1 lead. Winkler only threw three of nine pitches for strikes. Jeff Gelalich adds a run-scoring double and Dean Espy had a RBI single later in the frame as UCLA builds a 5-1 advantage.

“I thought the five-spot in the first inning was huge,” Bauer said. “It gives me a lot of confidence that they have my back. And it simplifies the pitching approach. You go out there and you throw strikes and you don’t put anybody on base.

The Frogs got a pair of two-out base runners in the second, but Bauer struck out Brance Rivera to end the inning.

“It was a struggle in the first couple innings,” Bauer said. “They came out and had the home run in the first innings and had guys all over the bases on me.”

Cody Regis rocked a RBI double in the bottom of the second as the Bruins extend their lead to 6-1.

Joe Weik had a sacrifice fly in the fourth and Holaday went deep again with two outs in the fifth as TCU pulled to within three at 6-3.

Bauer locked in over his final four innings. After the Holaday homer, he faced the minimum of 10 with five strikeouts. Bauer struck out the side in his final inning of work.

“We got off to a great start with the five-run first inning,” said UCLA head coach John Savage. “And then Trevor settled in. Bauer got better as the game went along.”

The Bruins added a pair in the sixth as Regis had a RBI single and Dunlap scored on a passed ball to increase the lead to 8-3. Espy belted a long leadoff homer in the seventh to spark a two-run rally as UCLA pushed the score to 10-3.

Bruin closer Dan Klein pitched a perfect ninth, including one strikeout, to secure the win.

Dunlap finished with three hits, two runs and two RBI for UCLA. Espy had three hits and two RBI, while Gallego added two hits and three runs.

Holaday had two of the four hits for the Horned Frogs.

Winkler was making his second start of the CWS against the Bruins. He went 2.2 innings on June 21 with six hits, five earned runs, three walks and two strikeouts in taking the loss as UCLA won 6-3.

(photo courtesy of UCLA Media Relations Office)