OMAHA — College World Series newcomer Texas Christian isn’t acting like it plans to go home soon.
Undefeated freshman Matt Purke overcame early trouble to limit Florida State to four singles and one unearned run over seven innings Saturday, and the Horned Frogs scored five times in the first inning on their way to an 8-1 victory in the CWS opener.
Coming off a tough super regional at Texas last weekend, the Frogs gave Purke a big cushion and continued the Seminoles’ frustration in Omaha.
“This is the point of the season when there are only going to be great teams left playing,” said TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle. “What we went through last week, there was no tougher situation.
“Ninety percent of baseball is confidence, and our guys feel good about themselves. That doesn’t mean we’re going to win every time, but we’re going to be ready to play.”
The Frogs (52-12) advanced to a Monday night game against the winner of Saturday night’s Florida- UCLA game. The Seminoles (47-19), at the CWS for the 20th time, have lost five of their last six CWS openers and will play the Florida-UCLA loser in a Monday afternoon Bracket 1 elimination game.
“I wish there was something I could say that would make any sense,” said Florida State coach Mike Martin. “Certainly we’re disappointed, but this TCU club is very good. They whipped us today and I’ve got a few of those on my resume, so it’s nothing new.”
TCU became the first team to win its CWS debut since Georgia Tech in 1994 — a team that featured future Boston Red Sox stars Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Varitek.
UCLA 11, Florida 3
OMAHA — Trevor Bauer pitched seven strong innings and set the UCLA season strikeouts record, and the Bruins cranked up their offense and capitalized on Florida’s struggles to beat the Gators in the College World Series.
The Bruins (49-14) won for the first time at the CWS and will play TCU in a Bracket 1 winners’ game Monday night.
Florida (47-16), the No. 3 national seed, meets Florida State in a Monday afternoon elimination game.
The sixth-seeded Bruins scored in eight innings and finished with 18 hits. Niko Gallego went 4-for-5.
Bauer (11-3) set the UCLA strikeout record for a season (152) in his last inning when he got Jonathan Pigot looking.
