UCLA holds off upstart Murray State 6-4 in CWS

OMAHA, Neb. -- Roman Martin and AJ Salgado drove successful 2 runs apiece to pb UCLA to a 6-4 victory implicit a Murray State squad making its College World Series debut Saturday.

The Bruins, successful the CWS for the archetypal clip since they won the title successful 2013, built a 6-0 pb earlier the Racers began chipping distant astatine it successful the mediate innings. UCLA person Easton Hawk pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to unafraid the Bruins' 4th consecutive triumph successful an Omaha opener.

UCLA (48-16) volition play Monday nighttime against the victor of Saturday night's crippled betwixt No. 3 nationalist effect Arkansas and No. 6 LSU.

The Missouri Valley Conference's Racers (44-16), lone the 4th No. 4 determination effect since 1999 to beforehand to the CWS, volition effort to support their archetypal quality going erstwhile they play Arkansas oregon LSU successful an elimination crippled connected Monday.

Ian May (8-3), the 2nd of 5 relievers who followed starter Michael Barnett, pitched an inning to gain the win.

The Bruins were successful afloat power aboriginal and improved to 27-1 erstwhile scoring first. They loaded the bases with nary outs successful the archetypal inning against Nic Schutte (8-5). He gave up a deed and issued 3 walks earlier helium settled down and got back-to-back strikeouts and a groundout to support it 1-0.

Dean West singled successful different tally successful the second, and the Bruins added 4 much successful the 4th connected a information compression bunt, basal deed and Salgado's two-run double.

Murray State ended the UCLA pitching staff's streak of 20 2/3 scoreless innings erstwhile a sliding Jonathan Hogart bushed Salgado's propulsion to the sheet connected Carson Garner's thrust into close tract successful the fifth. Before that, the Bruins hadn't allowed a tally since the 2nd inning of their ace determination opener against UTSA.

The Racers added a tally successful the sixth and 2 much successful the eighth aft putting runners connected 2nd and 3rd with nary outs. Consecutive RBI groundouts pulled them wrong 6-4.

Hawk went to the mound successful the ninth with a two-run pb and facing the bosom of the Racers' order. He struck retired Dustin Mercer, got Garner to crushed retired and fanned Dominic Decker to gain his eighth save.