Georgia reaches finals, await Fresno-UNC winner

Georgia has a chance to win its first national title since 1990, while North Carolina avoided elimination with another dramatic come-from-behind win Saturday at the College World Series.

The Bulldogs jumped on Stanford early and looked to be in cruise control, but the unseeded Cardinal made the eighth-seeded Bulldogs earn their first trip to the finals in almost two decades as Stanford scored four in the ninth before seeing their season end with a 10-8 loss.

Rich Poythress had a huge four-hit day for the 44-23-1 Bulldogs, tying a CWS record with three doubles. He helped spur the Bulldogs to a big lead, and Ryan Peisel's three-run bomb in the fifth put Georgia in the driver's seat with a 9-3 advantage.

Georgia led 10-4 in the ninth and looked to have things in control with All-American relief pitcher Josh Fields on the mounds, but Stanford decided it wasn't going to go away quietly. Ben Clowe came off the bench to hit a 3-2 pitch over the wall in left for a three-run homer, helping pull Stanford to within two runs before a flyout ended the rally.

It's an amazing turnaround for the Bulldogs, who became the first team to reach the CWS finals one year after finishing with a sub-.500 record. And it looked like it was going to be an all-Bulldog final before North Carolina decided it wanted to hang around for one more day.

Fresno State was clinging to a one-run lead in the eighth, but for the second time in as many games the Tar Heels -- the two-time defending CWS runners-up -- got a late home run to turn the tables and keep their title hopes alive.

This time, the magic bat was being held by Chad Flack, who launched a 3-2 pitch about halfway toward the site where the new downtown stadium will be three years from now. The shot just missed hitting the scoreboard in left field and gave North Carolina a 4-3 win, forcing Sunday's winner-take-all game at 6 p.m.

Fresno State dodged several bullets early in the game, as North Carolina left runners in scoring position in each of the four innings. The Bulldogs' dance around the land mines stood until the eighth, when reliever Justin Miller left one out over the plate that Flack tattooed into the cool June Nebraska night.

So Georgia must wait again. After a four-day layoff before beating Stanford Saturday, they'll get another day of rest to see whether or not North Carolina or Fresno State winds up playing in the championship series, which begins Monday at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Tournament Schedule

(NOTE: All times listed are Central)

Saturday, June 14
Game 1: Stanford 16, Florida State 5
Game 2: Georgia 7, Miami 4

Sunday, June 15
Game 3: Fresno State 17, Rice 5
Game 4: North Carolina 8, LSU 4

Monday, June 16
Game 5: Miami 7, Florida State 5 (Florida State eliminated)
Game 6: Georgia 4, Stanford 3

Tuesday, June 17
Game 7: LSU 6, Rice 5 (Rice eliminated)
Game 8: Fresno State 5, North Carolina 3

Wednesday, June 18
Game 9: Stanford 8, Miami 3 (Miami eliminated)

Friday, June 20
Game 10: North Carolina 7, LSU 3 (LSU eliminated)

Saturday, June 21
Game 11: Georgia 10, Stanford 8 (Stanford eliminated)
Game 12: North Carolina 4, Fresno State 3

Sunday, June 22
Game 14: North Carolina (54-13) vs. Fresno State (44-30), 6 p.m.

Championship Series

(NOTE: All start times are at 6 p.m.)

Monday, June 23
Game 1: Georgia (44-23-1) vs. Bracket Two winner

Tuesday, June 24
Game 2: Georgia (44-23-1) vs. Bracket Two winner

Wednesday, June 25
Game 3: Georgia (44-23-1) vs. Bracket Two winner (if necessary)

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