UCLA one win from CWS title
OMAHA, Neb.-- Adam Plutko helped maintain UCLA's mantra of "pitching and defense," pitching UCLA to a 3-1 victory over Mississippi State on Monday in the opening game of the College World Series championship round.
The Bruins held their opponent to exactly one run for the fourth consecutive game in Omaha, and they need more win in the best-of-three title series to capture the national championship.
"We can enjoy this one for about a half-hour or 45 minutes," UCLA coach John Savage said. "It was a Bruin game. A tight game."
Plutko threw six-plus innings, giving up one run and four hits. He pitched hitless ball through the first three innings.
"That's just the kind of pitcher he is," Mississippi State first baseman Wes Rea said.
An RBI single by Pat Valaika in the first inning and Eric Filia's two run single in the top of the fourth staked the Bruins to a 3-0 lead.
"A lot of time, the bigger the moment, the better he is," Savage said of Filia. "He's been huge for us, and he's one of our go-to guys."
The early runs proved to be enough, as Plutko and three UCLA relievers combined on a six-hitter.
In the ninth, Mississippi State got two runners on base with one out against UCLA reliever David Berg, who entered the game in the eighth -- earlier that Savage wanted.
"We do have a ton of trust in our bullpen, other than (Berg)," Savage said, "but when you're the visiting team and you drop a run or two in the eighth inning, you just cannot leave your All-American in the bullpen."
Berg got Nick Ammirati to fly out, and pinch hitter Jacob Robson grounded out to end the game.
UCLA scored in the first inning after Kevin Kramer reached first on a strikeout/wild pitch. Kramer went to third on a double by Filia and scored on Valaika's single.
Chad Girodo relieved Bulldogs starter Trevor Fitts in the second inning after Shane Zeile singled and advanced to second on Cody Regis' sacrifice.
Fitts finished the night giving up an earned run on three hits with three strikeouts over 1 1/3 innings.
Filia stretched the Bruins' lead to 3-0 in the top of the fourth with a two-out single that scored Brenton Allen and Brian Carroll.
Mississippi State scored its first and only run of the game in the fourth when Plutko walked C.T. Bradford with the bases loaded. Alex Detz and Brett Pirtle had singled and Rea was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
James Kaprielian came in to pitch for UCLA in the seventh, and he finished the inning without allowing a hit. He was followed out of the bullpen by Zach Weiss, who got one out before Berg entered.
The Bruins are now 40-0 this season when leading after seven innings.
Girodo pitched 7 2/3 innings for Bulldogs in relief and yielded just three hits and two runs, neither of which was earned.
"Outside of a couple tiny incidents, I thought Chad was masterful," Mississippi State coach John Cohen said.
Cohen said he felt as if the Bulldogs got their fair share of bad breaks.
"They hit balls to the spots on the field that found grass. We hit balls that found gloves," Cohen said.
The series continues Tuesday night at TD Ameritrade Park. Game 3, if necessary, would be Wednesday night.
NOTES: UCLA is making its fifth appearance in the College World Series, and its third trip in the last four years. UCLA fell to South Carolina in the 2010 finals. ... Mississippi State is making its ninth tournament appearance and its first trip since 2007. ... Bulldogs RF Hunter Renfroe was selected 13th overall by the San Diego Padres in this month's draft. ... UCLA pitchers managed just two strikeouts, both by Plutko. Mississippi State pitchers fanned 12, nine by Girodo.
