Freshman pitcher Adam Plutko allowed just one hit and two walks in 7 2/3 scoreless innings, leading No. 1 seed UCLA to a 4-1 victory over the No. 4 San Francisco Dons Sunday afternoon, keeping UCLA alive in the 2011 NCAA Baseball Tournament. The Bruins advance to play the No. 3 seed UC Irvine Anteaters in the final of the Los Angeles Regional. The Dons were eliminated with the loss.
Plutko improved to 6-4 on the season with a 2.01 ERA. Nick Vander Tuig got the final four outs to close out the victory. UCLA scored first on an RBI single in the second by shortstop Pat Valaika, then chased San Francisco starter Jonathan Abramson with two more runs in the third inning. The Bruins tacked on another run in the seventh on an RBI double by Jeff Gelalich.
The regional final is set up like so in a double elimination tournament: if UC Irvine beats UCLA tonight, in a game starting at 6 p.m. PDT, they win the region and advance to the super regionals of the NCAA Baseball Tournament. If UCLA wins tonight, the two teams play again Monday night, again at 6 p.m. PDT for all the L.A. marbles.
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