UCLA baseball defeated Louisiana State University 2-1 in its first game at the College World Series, neutralizing LSU’s high-powered offensive attack.
LSU, which has the 15th-best batting average and the ninth-most runs in the country, struggled offensively. Junior pitcher Adam Plutko threw seven innings, surrendering just one run – a home run hit by senior first baseman Mason Katz in the fourth inning – and four hits to LSU.
The Tigers normally stout defense also underperformed, as they committed two errors, which both led to runs for the Bruins. In the sixth inning, junior outfielder Brian Carroll advanced to second on a bunt single and a throwing error and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly.
UCLA tacked on another run in the eighth inning after LSU shortstop Alex Bregman let a groundball skip past him, allowing redshirt freshman outfielder Christoph Bono to score.
Sophomore closer David Berg, who was announced as a finalist for the National Pitcher of the Year Award earlier in the day, earned his 22nd save in the ninth to secure the UCLA victory.
UCLA will play North Carolina State on Tuesday.
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff