It was more of the same for UCLA in Game 1 of the 2013 College World Series finals: starting pitcher Adam Plutko held Mississippi State to one run on four hits in six innings and then let his bullpen carry the Bruins home.
The Bulldogs made it interesting by scoring a run in the fourth and then posting two runners on in the ninth, but Bruins closer David Berg — the man, the myth, the legend — recorded his NCAA-record 24th save to seal Game 1 for UCLA and now his team is one win away from its first ever baseball national championship.
The environment at TD Ameritrade Park was overly “MSU-friendly” as many media outlets have put it and the Bulldogs were confident they were going to come away with the victory with a throng of maroon and white-clad fans filling the stands, so seeing Berg make history in a Bruins win was unexpected…and almost weird.
Now it all comes down to Game 2 for Mississippi State. The key for the Bulldogs will be staying in position to keep Berg from doing his thing at the end, which means putting runs on the board early and keeping UCLA from gaining a lead at any point in the game. Definitely don’t miss Game 2 because it’s going to be wild.
