2010 College World Series: CWS

UCLA 6, TCU 3 - UCLA Earns Game 9 Bye on Wednesday; TCU faces Florida State in elimination game on Wednesday

The UCLA Bruins are looking like the best team in the 2010 College World Series, and their pure power is making the difference for the wonderboys from Westwood.

There was nothing subtle, finesse-oriented, or cute about the Bruins' bashing of a very strong Texas Christian team on Monday night at Rosenblatt Stadium. UCLA is finding a cozy home in Omaha, Nebraska, and it's all because of overwhelming brute force on offense and defense.

First, the offense. Small ball might be suited for some teams, but it sure didn't fit the Bruins' modus operandi in this winners' bracket game. Beau Amaral, Cody Regis, and Jeff Gelalich all homered for UCLA, and they did so in the first three innings to knock out TCU starter Kyle Winkler, who took the loss after getting shelled for five runs in just 2 2/3 innings. UCLA hitters worked counts, fouled off tough pitches, and made Winkler come into the strike zone throughout the first three innings. By seeing enough pitches in each individual at-bat, the Bruins' hitters maneuvered themselves into positions where they could sit on fastballs and extend the bats. They didn't miss when they found a ball they could drive. That, in many ways, was the ballgame.

Gerrit Cole did the rest.

UCLA's starting pitcher was flawless through the first six innings, as he repeatedly jammed TCU hitters and blew them away with hard, high heat. Cole had his fastball working, not just in terms of its velocity but also its movement. The Horned Frogs never got very comfortable in the dish against Cole, and that's a big reason why they fell behind 5-0 after three innings.

UCLA rode Cole's right arm to a 5-0 lead in the seventh, but after a few base knocks, TCU's Taylor Featherston rapped a three-run, bases-loaded triple to bring the men of the Mountain West Conference within just two runs, at 5-3. Admirably, though, Cole brought back more of the pure power that propelled him through the first six innings. Cole got a swinging strikeout to escape further trouble in the seventh and preserve a pinch of the positive momentum that had begun to flow his way.

In the eighth, Cole reared back one more time - despite an evidently tiring arm - and registered his 13th strikeout of the game. Yes, he allowed three runs in his overall evening of work. Yes, he gave up one big hit in his time on the mound. However, Cole powered through the TCU lineup and gave his team eight high-quality innings. Many coaches would have taken him out after seven innings, but Cole wanted the ball badly. In the eighth inning, when Major League closers would have entered the building, Cole got three more outs to bridge the game to his team's closer, Dan Klein. In a matter of mere minutes, a limp TCU rally fizzled in the ninth, and Klein owned the save for Cole, who picked up the win.

Does UCLA have more power in store for opponents? We'll find out this upcoming Friday, which is when the well-rested Bruins will play their next game.

COLLEGE WORLD SERIES - Game 6 Recap - UCLA vs TCU