UCLA Adds Baseball to Record NCAA Championships
26 Jun, 2013
Finally, baseball is represented among the NCAA-record 109 team national championships in Westwood.
The Bruins secured their first title Tuesday night with an 8-0 victory over Mississippi State that completed a two-game sweep in the College World Series finals.
“We believed we were the best team in the country from the get-go,” second baseman Cody Regis said. “We had that mindset that we weren’t going to stop until July 1. That’s what Coach always said: `Season ends July 1 when the tournament is over. And I think we are here because we believed throughout in the process.”
That process focused squarely on pitching and defense. The Bruins were among the best in the nation in both. The offense produced just enough. On Tuesday, though, the offense stole the show.
Eric Filia drove in a career-high five runs for the Bruins, who collected 12 hits and scored their most runs in 18 games, and Vander Tuig limited Mississippi State to five hits in eight innings.
“They had a great year,” Savage said of his players, “and it was one of those situations where it was our time.”
Adam Plutko, the Bruins’ No. 1 starter, was chosen the CWS Most Outstanding Player. He beat LSU in the Bruins’ first game and was the winner in Game 1 of the finals. He allowed two runs in 13 innings.
Vander Tuig held off the Bulldogs (51-20) when they threatened in the fourth, fifth and eighth innings to record his fourth win in the NCAA tournament. Vander Tuig (14-4) struck out six and walked one. David Berg pitched the ninth.
The Bruins won their first title in their third CWS appearance in four years and fifth all-time.
AP
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