By ,
Published January 13, 2015
UCLA has a record 109 team championships. For the first time, the Bruins are celebrating a title on the baseball diamond.
Nick Vander Tuig pitched eight shutout innings and UCLA routed Mississippi State, 8-0, to clinch the NCAA College World Series title in two games.
The Bruins (49-17), who won 3-1 Monday night to open the best-of-three finals, pounded out 12 hits in the clincher.
Sophomore outfielder Eric Filia knocked in a career-high five runs and Brian Carroll scored three times.
Vander Tuig (14-4) allowed five hits and had six strikeouts. David Berg, who on Monday set a new NCAA record with his 24th save of the season, received a flip from first baseman Pat Gallagher for the final out and the celebration commenced for the Bruins, who won their final 11 games of the year. They lost to South Carolina in the 2010 CWS finals. It was the Bruins' third CWS appearance in four years.
"This whole team is so close and I can't really explain how happy I am," Vander Tuig said. "Our defense has been great all year and our pitching staff has a lot of heart. We have each other's back. I can't be more proud of this team. I'm going to miss them."
Since the introduction of the championship finals series, teams that win the first game have won nine out of 11 CWS championships.
Luis Pollorena (6-4) was replaced after one inning for the Bulldogs (51-20), who have yet to win a team championship in any of the school's sports.
Mississippi State managed just five hits, all singles, and committed three errors.
"We knocked on the door," Mississippi State coach John Cohen said. "UCLA knocked on the door previously and then busted it down. I am really proud of these players. They worked real hard to get here. Many of these players came here when the program was not in good condition."
Pollorena hit Carroll with a pitch to start the game in the bottom of the first. Kevin Kramer reached base on an error from Pollorena, and Filia lifted a sacrifice fly to right field.
Carroll scored on Filia's squeeze bunt toward first base in the third, and Pat Valaika followed with an RBI single down the right field line. Both runs came off Ross Mitchell.
The Bruins padded their lead with two more runs in the fourth. Cody Regis hit a bouncer into center field off Ben Bracewell to plate Kevin Williams. After Carroll was hit by a Jonathan Holder pitch, Kramer lifted a sacrifice fly to center.
Filia, who singled to center to score Regis in the sixth, added a two-run base hit in the eighth.
UCLA was the first team to go through the College World Series without allowing more than one run in every game.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/ucla-wins-ncaa-baseball-title