RebelGrove.com - TCU takes College Station Regional

June 4, 2012

David Harris
Special to

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COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Two chances, for Ole Miss, weren't enough. TCU's pitching, however, was too much.

For the second consecutive night, the Frogs used a stifling pitching performance to defeat the Rebels in a must-win game. TCU won the College Station Regional with a 7-4 victory Monday at Blue Bell Park. The Frogs advance to the Super Regionals where they'll face UCLA in Los Angeles.

"As a coach you're never prepared for this moment. They played better than we did," said Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco. "TCU was just a better club tonight and yesterday. After losing the first day, they found themselves here, especially offensively."

Ole Miss started staff ace Bobby Wahl on two day's rest and, for three innings, he looked unhittable. He gave up nothing in his first three innings, striking out five.

On his first pitch in the fourth, though, Wahl left one up and catcher Josh Elander made him pay, sending it over the video board in left field to tie it at one. Two batters later, Jantzen Witte got a fastball up in the zone and he too put it over the left field fence to give the Frogs a 2-1 lead.

"They were hust a couple bad pitches on my part," Wahl said. "I didn't make an adjustment. Left two fastballs belt high and they got some good swings on it. That's what happens when you make mistakes."

After relieving Preston Morrison in the fifth inning, reliever Justin Scharf took over. Though he allowed an inherited runner to score and give the Rebels a 3-2 lead, he got out of a bases loaded jam and, from there, he cruised. Scharf went 4 2/3 innings, holding the Rebels to four hits and one earned run.

"We were trying to preach to get the barrel out. After the first couple innings, we made a conscious effort to do that," said Alex Yarbrough. "It's tough to tell if it's in the strike zone with that angle. It's tough because he throws with velocity from down low. We just didn't get the hits.

"You can't call it anything. It's not coming through when you need the hits."

It didn't take TCU long to get back up on top as Keaton Jones drove in Josh Gonzales to tie it at three and Kyle Von Tungeln continued his exceptional regional, driving in Brance Rivera to give the Frogs a 4-3 lead. That would end Wahl's night, and Witte struck out to end the inning. He took the loss after going 4 1/3 innings and giving up four earned runs.

"I wanted to give my team the best chance I could to win," Wahl said. "I didn't do a great job of that tonight. I left everything I had out there tonight, It wasn't enough though."

The bottom of the order came through again in the sixth inning when Derek Odell reached base after being hit by a pitch. Rivera followed with an RBI double - his ninth of the regional - to give TCU a two-run lead.

"They got so many big hits today with runners in scoring position," Bianco said. "Got some great at bats, competed hard and played hard."

Witte continued his stellar night in the seventh with an RBI single to score Elander and give the Frogs a commanding three-run lead.

Ole Miss' season ends with a 37-26 record.

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