Filia’s highlight catch
Leading off the bottom of the fifth inning, Mississippi State’s Nick Ammirati blasted a ball deep into the right field corner. Sophomore right fielder Eric Filia raced to track the ball down and made a leaping grab on the warning track, robbing Ammirati of extra bases. The catch made ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 and likely saved a run, as two other Bulldogs reached base that inning.
Berg gets in and out of a jam
UCLA was three outs away from making the CWS championship series and held a four-run lead over North Carolina. Berg, the usually accurate closer, came in to pitch, but struggled with command, allowing a run to score and loading the bases with two outs for North Carolina’s Landon Lassiter, a .358 hitter on the year. The go-ahead run at the plate, Lassiter drilled a 1-2 pitch to center field, but right at junior Brian Carroll, who made the out and helped Berg escape yet again.
Berg fuels the drama
With UCLA clinging to a one-run lead over North Carolina State in the eighth inning, sophomore closer David Berg entered the game with a runner on first, looking to end the threat. Instead, he hit the first batter he faced. With the go-ahead run on first base, Berg’s pitch was driven to deep left field and appeared to be a home run. But redshirt freshman left fielder Christoph Bono caught the ball just in front of the wall and Berg escaped the jam.
