Everything That Could Go Wrong Does for Ousted UCLA

OMAHA — Searching for the answer, and wishing for a topic less painful, UCLA second baseman Nick Theodorou stood under a faint light outside Rosenblatt Stadium on Monday night and spoke slowly and softly.

“It was . . . chaotic,” he said, after thinking long about UCLA’s 7-5 loss to Mississippi State in front of 20,016 and the Bruins’ elimination from the College World Series after their first appearance in 28 years. “Everything just . . . fell apart.”

A four-run seventh by Mississippi State (47-20) is the reason the fourth-seeded Bruins (45-21-1) watched a 4-3 lead turn into a bumbling loss.

“The worst inning, at the worst time,” Theodorou said. “Right from the start.”

The Bulldog seventh began with Bruin pitcher Matt Klein walking Adam Piatt and then being relieved by Rob Henkel. Barry Patton sacrificed Piatt to second, but first baseman’s Brett Nista’s throw to first skidded into foul territory.

Although Nista was charged with the error, which advanced Piatt to third, Theodorou was at fault. He was late in covering first and forced Nista to pump once and hurry the throw.

The next batter, designated hitter Brian Wiese, hit the ball sharply up the middle, but Bruin shortstop Troy Glaus made a diving save. He tried to flip to second to force Patton, but Theodorou wasn’t covering, having moved to play the ball himself. The hit brought in Piatt with the only earned run of the inning and tied the score, 4-4.

Mississippi State’s Damian Scioneaux sacrificed the runners over for the first out of the inning, and Travis Chapman was intentionally walked to load the bases for No. 9 hitter Brooks Bryan. On the first pitch from Henkel, Bryan bounced a ball up the middle that hit the pitcher and ricocheted 20 feet into the air, scoring Patton and keeping the bases loaded.

Shortstop Brad Freeman followed with a grounder to Glaus that looked like the start of an inning-ending double play, but after Glaus flipped to Theodorou, the second baseman’s throw to first sailed high, allowing Wiese to score and making the Bulldog lead 6-4.

Rusty Thoms then hit a grounder to Glaus that he fielded, but when trying to make the throw to first at the edge of the infield, he slipped and Chapman scored.

Henkel got the next batter, Richard Lee, to fly out to finally end the inning.

“I can’t think of anything that went right in that inning,” UCLA Coach Gary Adams said. “We just couldn’t overcome all the bad things.”