LOS ANGELES--- No. 2 UCLA (44-15) defeated CSU Bakersfield (37-24-1) 9-1 in a NCAA Baseball Tournament elimination game Sunday at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

CSUB started Steven Gee (So., Taft, Calif., Taft Union). Gee threw a ball on the outside before leaving a fastball over the middle for Kevin Kramer. Kramer blasted the pitch over the right field fence, landing on top of the batting cages located approximately 390 feet away.  

Jordie Hein (Sr., Scottsdale, Ariz., Chapparal HS) was hit by a Cody Poteet pitch to lead off the CSUB first. With one out, David Metzgar (So., Lancaster, Calif., Paraclete HS) walked on four consecutive Cody Poteet pitches. Soloman Williams (Sr., Long Beach, Calif., Golden West College) grounded into an inning ending double play on the first offering he saw from Poteet.

Drew Seelman (Fr., Temecula, Calif., Temecula Valley HS) walked to open the bottom of the third. With one out, Poteet walked Joey Sanchez (So., Pico Rivera, Calif., El Rancho HS). Metzgar flew out before Williams singled to right. Seelman was thrown out at the plate by Bruins' right fielder Kort Peterson.

Peterson singled with two outs in the top of the fourth. He stole second before Darrell Miller, Jr. walk. The Roadrunners got out of the inning with Christoph Bono lined out to left. CSUB stranded the potential tying run at first in the bottom of the fourth.

Trent Chatterton led off the UCLA fifth with a double down the left field line. Kramer grounded out to second as Chatterton advanced to third. CSUB brought the infield in against Brett Stephens. The ploy worked as Metzgar made a diving stop on a Stephens' grounder. He looked Chatterton back to third, throwing to first for the out. Ty Moore hit a shot into the hole at second which Metzgar dove for. Metzgar came up throwing and got the final out at first.

Sanchez picked up the Roadrunners' third hit, a single, with two outs in the CSUB fifth, but Roadrunners again stranded the potential tying run at first when Poteet struck out Metzgar, the Roadrunners' leading hitter.

Chance Gusbeth (Jr., Lancaster, Calif., Desert Christian HS) was hit by a Poteet pitch with one out in the sixth. Grant Dyer relieved Poteet to face Max Carter (So., Bakersfield, Calif., Stockdale HS). Carter singled to left. Mylz Jones (Jr., Palmdale, Calif., Paraclete HS) grounded into a 6-5 fielder's choice before Logan Trowbridge (Sr., Santa Cruz, Calif., College of San Mateo) struck out looking on three consecutive Dyer pitches for the final out.

Miller, Jr. led off the seventh with a single up the middle. Bono's sacrifice bunt advance Miller, Jr. to second. Chatteron flew out to right to bring up Kramer. The UCLA shortstop was intentionally walked in favor of a pitching matchup against Stephens.  Stephens lined a shot off Jones' glove at short. The error allowed Miller, Jr. to score. Moore hit a three-run home run to increase the Bruins' lead to 5-0. Luke Persico kept the inning going with single up the middle. Chris Keck doubled to right to score Perisco for the sixth Bruins' run.

UCLA added three runs in the eighth. Nick Vehlewald (Jr., Bakersfield, Calif., Garces HS) hit a pinch-hit home run in the top of the ninth for the lone CSUB run.

The UCLA pitching staff allowed five Roadrunner hits with Poteet getting the victory. Four UCLA hitters (Persico, Miller, Jr., Bono, and Chatterton) combined for eight (two each) of the 13 Bruins' hits. CSUB put on a runner in each of the first six innings, stranding eight for the game.  With the win, UCLA advanced to the first regional championship game against Maryland later Sunday night.

Please stay tuned to GoRunners.com in the next few weeks about special recognition events for the CSUB baseball team. Everyone is invited to Thursday's ROWDY's that will be held at the Fox Theater in Bakersfield. The festivities get underway at 8 p.m.

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