College World Series Tickets

Fresno State "Underdogs" win national title

There have been many Cinderella stories over the years in college sports -- the basketball championship runs of North Carolina State and Villanova in the 1980's always seem to leap to mind.

But for all the great stories of the little guy rising to the top of the heap, none can be matched by the run of the Fresno State Bulldogs, who completed one of the more unlikely roads to the title by beating the Georgia Bulldogs 6-1 in the third and final game of the College World Series championship Wednesday at Rosenblatt Stadium.

The Fresno State squad started the season in a pure funk, losing 12 of their first 20. They had to win the Western Athletic Conference tournament just to get a bid in the NCAA tournament, then entered the toughest regional as a No. 4 seed.

Fresno State held off elimination long enough to win the Long Beach regional, only to find itself on the road in one of the toughest places to play -- Tempe, Ariz. They lost their first game to fourth-seeded Arizona State, then ran off two wins in a row to pull off the upset and earn the trip to Omaha.

Even the road to Omaha wasn't smooth sailing for these gritty Bulldogs. They flew in bad weather and endured a bumpy flight before touching down in Omaha. Once they hit the pavement, though, all this team did was win when it needed to.

And it should be only fitting that the most battered of the Bulldogs, Steve Detweiler, be the man that carried Fresno State to the title. Playing with a completely torn ligament in his thumb, Detweiler smacked a pair of home runs and a double and accounted for all six RBI's to lead his team to the title.

Detweiler's first blast came in the second, as he took a Nathan Moreau pitch just over the wall in right to give Fresno State a 2-0 lead. He would add an RBI double in the fourth and a three-run blast to left in the sixth to put Fresno State in command.

The big cushion was more than enough for starter Just Wilson, who threw 129 pitches on three days rest and went eight innings for the Bulldogs. His only mistake came in the eighth when Georgia's All-American shortstop, Gordon Beckham, hit a solo homer to left field. The round-tripper gave him 28 for the season, tying him with LSU's Matt Clark for the most home runs this season.

It was a great effort by the Georgia Bulldogs to get to the championship series. They dominated their half of the bracket, knocking top-seeded Miami into the losers bracket and finishing the four-team double-elimination part of the tournament undefeated. They won the first game of the series and were in command in the second game before Fresno State made its amazing comeback.

And if you want to put Fresno State's championship run into perspective, consider that they were the No. 4 seed in their four-team regional. By comparison, if the baseball brackets were seeded as they are for the NCAA basketball tournament, Fresno State's seeding would have been the equivalent of a team seeded No. 13 or lower. The lowest seed to win an NCAA basketball championship was Villanova, who was a No. 8 seed when they beat Georgetown in 1985.

It was an amazing finish to what was yet another exciting College World Series, and the end result is one that will capture the imagination of underdogs in every sport for many years to come.

Tournament Results

Saturday, June 14 -- Stanford 16, Florida State 5; Georgia 7, Miami 4

Sunday, June 15 -- Fresno State 17, Rice 5; North Carolina 8, LSU 4

Monday, June 16 -- Miami 7, Florida State 5 (Florida State eliminated); Georgia 4, Stanford 3

Tuesday, June 17 -- LSU 6, Rice 5 (Rice eliminated); Fresno State 5, North Carolina 3

Wednesday, June 18 -- Stanford 8, Miami 3 (Miami eliminated)

Friday, June 20 -- North Carolina 7, LSU 3 (LSU eliminated)

Saturday, June 21 -- Georgia 10, Stanford 8 (Stanford eliminated); North Carolina 4, Fresno State 3

Sunday, June 22 -- Fresno State 6, North Carolina 1 (North Carolina eliminated)

Championship Series

Monday, June 23 -- Georgia 7, Fresno State 6

Tuesday, June 24 -- Fresno State 19, Georgia 10

Wednesday, June 25 -- Fresno State 6, Georgia 1 (Fresno State win CWS championship)

Fresno State explodes, force third game at CWS

Fresno State's pitching staff really needed a lift Tuesday night if they wanted to keep their national championship hopes alive, and they got one -- from their offense.

The Fresno bats have been pounding the ball better than anybody else in the CWS, and they quickly recovered from a 6-0 deficit to pound Georgia 19-10 and force a third and deciding game Wednesday in the College World Series championship at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Fresno State looked to be done for early on. Georgia jumped on an already-burned out pitching staff to take a big lead early, but the eastern Bulldogs' pitching served up plenty of beach balls to a Fresno State team that really needed it in this do-or-die situation.

The Georgia Bulldogs got three runs in the first inning, highlighted by a two-run single from Joey Lewis. They extended that lead to 5-0 with single runs in the next two innings and appeared to be in cruise control when the Fresno State Bulldogs started their amazing comeback.

The rally started when Steve Detweiler scored on a wild pitch, opening the floodgates for a six-run outburst that put Fresno State on top. Steve Susdorf slapped a two-run single to right and Tommy Mendonca hit his fourth home run of the series, a three-run blast that tied the record for most home runs by a single player in the CWS.

Georgia tied the game at 6-6 in the fourth when Gordon Beckham singled home Matt Olson, but the momentum was clearly in Fresno State's corner after that. The WAC champions erupted for five in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by Danny Muno's two-run triple and a two-run single by Ryan Overland; then tacked on four more in the fifth, capped by Susdorf's bomb to right field. Suddenly, a 5-0 deficit had turned into a 15-6 advantage.

Georgia managed to make a game of it in the seventh, scoring four times to get within five runs at 15-10. Fresno State countered with three in the bottom of the inning, keyed by Alan Ahmady's two-run single, then added another run in the eighth to account for the final margin of victory.

The scoring explosion by Fresno State was also record-setting, as they became the first team in CWS history to score 17 or more runs in two games in the same tournament. They opened the tournament with a 17-5 spanking of Rice, and they have hit 12 home runs in the tournament, which puts them within shouting distance of the all-time record of 17 turned in by both LSU and USC in 1998.

But all that matters now is tonight's Game Three. The winner goes home as College World Series champions, while the loser leaves with thoughts of what might have been. If the first two games are any indication, this should be one heck of a "dog" fight when the Georgia Bulldogs and Fresno State Bulldogs take the field just after 6 p.m. Wednesday at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Tournament Results

(NOTE: All times listed are Central)

Saturday, June 14 -- Stanford 16, Florida State 5; Georgia 7, Miami 4

Sunday, June 15 -- Fresno State 17, Rice 5; North Carolina 8, LSU 4

Monday, June 16 -- Miami 7, Florida State 5 (Florida State eliminated); Georgia 4, Stanford 3

Tuesday, June 17 -- LSU 6, Rice 5 (Rice eliminated); Fresno State 5, North Carolina 3

Wednesday, June 18 -- Stanford 8, Miami 3 (Miami eliminated)

Friday, June 20 -- North Carolina 7, LSU 3 (LSU eliminated)

Saturday, June 21 -- Georgia 10, Stanford 8 (Stanford eliminated); North Carolina 4, Fresno State 3

Sunday, June 22 -- Fresno State 6, North Carolina 1 (North Carolina eliminated)

Championship Series

Monday, June 23 -- Georgia 7, Fresno State 6

Tuesday, June 24 -- Fresno State 19, Georgia 10

Wednesday, June 25
Game 3: Georgia (45-24-1) vs. Fresno State (46-31), 6 p.m.

You can still get great College World Series tickets now at Ticket Express -- where no College World Series game is ever sold out.

Georgia takes first game with late comeback

You can't teach an old dog new tricks, which is why Georgia seems to have no problem coming from behind.

For the third time in the tournament, Georgia rallied to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, scoring four in the bottom of the eighth to beat Fresno State 7-6 and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three championship round at the College World Series. Georgia can wrap up its first national title since 1990 with a win tonight, while Fresno State needs a win to even the series and continue its Cinderella story for one more night.

The battle of the Bulldogs looked like a mismatch early on, as Fresno State's starting pitching was used up from battling back to beat North Carolina over the weekend. Georgia took advantage early on when Rich Poythress singled home Ryan Peisel in the first for an early 1-0 Georgia lead.

Fresno State's offense answered in the third when Jordan Ribera hit a shot over the left field fence to tie the game, but Georgia reclaimed the lead in the fourth when Joey Lewis' single brought home Matt Cerione.

That lead would be short-lived, however. While Fresno State's pitcher-by-committee effort was keeping Georgia's bats in check, the Fresno State bats came alive when Steve Detweiler launched a bomb to left center. The two-run blast put Fresno State on top 3-2 in the fifth, and it would stay that way until the seventh when Cerione scored Poythress on an RBI single up the middle to tie the game at 3-3.

Fresno State got a huge lift in the top of the eighth when Steve Susdorf hit an RBI double, scoring Wetzel. Susdorf got caught in a lineout double play, but Tommy Mendonca followed with a two-run shot to left center to give the underdog Bulldogs a 6-3 lead.

Georgia got a leadoff single from Matt Olson to start the bottom of the eighth, and Fresno State closer Brandon Burke came on to shut the door on any potential Georgia comeback.

There was one problem -- Georgia had already kicked the door in.

Gordon Beckham took Burke's second pitch over the wall in left field, and that started Georgia's four-run rally. Poythress walked and scored on Cerione's double to left. Cerione advanced to third when the throw home hit Poythress in the back, and Lewis followed with an RBI single, scoring Cerione with what proved to be the winning run.

Not leaving anything to chance, Georgia brought on the nation's top reliever, Joshua Fields, to close things out. He did so with little problem, inducing an infield popup from Wetzel for the final out to give Georgia the victory.

Skies are cloudy with rain Tuesday morning, but the forecast is for the rain to move out by game time and a slight chance of a late-evening shower is possible. It's a good bet we'll see the second round of the Battle of the Bulldogs tonight at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Tournament Results

(NOTE: All times listed are Central)

Saturday, June 14 -- Stanford 16, Florida State 5; Georgia 7, Miami 4

Sunday, June 15 -- Fresno State 17, Rice 5; North Carolina 8, LSU 4

Monday, June 16 -- Miami 7, Florida State 5 (Florida State eliminated); Georgia 4, Stanford 3

Tuesday, June 17 -- LSU 6, Rice 5 (Rice eliminated); Fresno State 5, North Carolina 3

Wednesday, June 18 -- Stanford 8, Miami 3 (Miami eliminated)

Friday, June 20 -- North Carolina 7, LSU 3 (LSU eliminated)

Saturday, June 21 -- Georgia 10, Stanford 8 (Stanford eliminated); North Carolina 4, Fresno State 3

Sunday, June 22 -- Fresno State 6, North Carolina 1 (North Carolina eliminated)

Championship Series

Monday, June 23 -- Georgia 7, Fresno State 6

Tuesday, June 24
Game 2: Georgia (45-23-1) vs. Fresno State (45-31), 6 p.m.

Wednesday, June 25
Game 3: Georgia vs. Fresno State (if necessary), 6 p.m.

You can still get great College World Series tickets now at Ticket Express -- where no College World Series game is ever sold out.

Title matchup to be a battle of the Bulldogs

Well, it's official -- the College World Series has gone to the dogs.

To be precise, it will be an all-Bulldogs championship final as upstart Fresno State finished off North Carolina 6-1 on Sunday to win the second bracket and claim the school's first-ever trip to the national finals at Rosenblatt Stadium.

North Carolina had rallied twice to keep their hopes of a third straight championship series alive, but they ran out of comebacks Sunday night as the Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.

Tommy Mendoza got Fresno State on the board in the bottom of the third when he laced a two-run single to left, scoring Erik Wetzel and Steve Susdorf. Wetzel got the rally going with a single and was followed by an opposite-field double from Susdorf to put two in scoring position.

North Carolina cut the lead in half when Kyle Shelton drew a bases-loaded walk, but that's as close as the Tar Heels would get off Clay Allison, who pitched six innings and allowed six hits and three walks while striking out six.

Fresno got the run they gave up in the top of the fourth back in the bottom of the inning when Danny Muno singled home Jordan Ribera. They got some more insurance in the fifth when Mendonza drove in his third run of the night with a double, scoring Alan Ahmady. The Bulldogs tacked on two more in the sixth for good measure to become the lowest-seeded team ever to reach the championship round.

Fresno State won't get much time to rest up, though -- Georgia awaits in Monday's first game in the best-of-three championship series, and the southern Bulldogs will come in a lot fresher than their western counterparts, having wrapped up their shot at the title on Saturday by eliminating Stanford.

It's been five years since a seeded team claimed the College World Series title. Rice was the last seeded team to win it all, taking the title in 2003. Since then, Cal State Fullerton (2004), Texas (2005) and Oregon State (2006 and 2007) came to Omaha unseeded and left with the title of national champions. It will be interesting to see if a worn-out Fresno State team can keep that streak alive against a very solid Georgia squad.

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: Fresno State 6, North Carolina 1 (North Carolina eliminated)

Championship Series

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

Monday, June 23
Game 1: Georgia (44-23-1) vs. Fresno State (45-30)

Tuesday, June 24
Game 2: Georgia vs. Fresno State

Wednesday, June 25
Game 3: Georgia vs. Fresno State (if necessary)

You can still get great College World Series tickets now at Ticket Express -- where no College World Series game is ever sold out.

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)

You can still get great College World Series tickets now at Ticket Express -- where no College World Series game is ever sold out.

Ninth-inning grand slam lifts Tar Heels past LSU

Tim Federowicz was a hero Friday night for North Carolina, coming through with a two-out grand slam home run in the top of the ninth to lift the Tar Heels to a 7-3 win over LSU at the College World Series.

The dramatic finish brought a heartbreaking close to LSU's season, while the Tar Heels move on to the bracket championship against Fresno State, who beat North Carolina 5-3 in their first meeting earlier this week.

The Tar Heels had two on and two out when LSU coach Paul Mainieri chose to have Dustin Ackley intentionally walked. Ackley had reached base four times in the game, Mainieri instructed reliever Louis Coleman to put him on base and pitch to Federowicz.

The move turned out to be the wrong one, as Federowicz turned on a 1-1 inside pitch and launched a bomb to left field, the first grand slam at the CWS since 2001, to break the 3-3 tie and send North Carolina to the amazing victory.

LSU was trailing 3-1 and tied the game in the seventh when Matt Clark hit his 28th home run of the season in the sixth inning to forge a 3-3 deadlock. It would remain that way until Federowicz's tiebreaking blast.

The game actually started Thursday evening, and North Carolina had a 2-0 lead when rain stopped the game. Rain caused two more delays Friday night before the skies cleared.

So now we are left with baseball's version of the "final four" as Georgia meets Stanford in Saturday's 1 p.m. Bracket One final, while the Tar Heels and Fresno State clash in the Bracket Two final tonight at 6 p.m.

If either Stanford or North Carolina win, an "if necessary" game will be played Sunday. If both Georgia and Fresno State win, teams will have a day off before the best-of-three championship series begins on Monday at 6 p.m. 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 (43-23-1) vs. Stanford (41-23-2), 1 p.m.
Game 12: Fresno State (44-29) vs. North Carolina (53-13), 6 p.m.

Sunday, June 22
Game 13: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 11, 1 p.m.
Game 14: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 12, 6 p.m.

(NOTE: If only one game is played Saturday, it will be at 6 p.m.)

Championship Series

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

Monday, June 23
Game 1: Bracket winners

Tuesday, June 24
Game 2: Bracket winners

Wednesday, June 25
Game 3: Bracket winners (if necessary)

You can still get great College World Series tickets now at Ticket Express -- where no College World Series game is ever sold out.

Mother Nature intervenes on CWS game

For the first time since 2000, Mother Nature kept things from moving forward at the College World Series.

North Carolina was leading LSU 2-0 in the top of the first when the rains came, and the NCAA determined after a three-hour delay that it would be in the best interests to move things back a day. The LSU-UNC game will be picked up where it left off when the two teams get together again Friday at 6 p.m. 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: Game resumes at 6 p.m. with North Carolina leading LSU 2-0 in top of first.

Saturday, June 21
Game 11: Georgia (43-23-1) vs. Stanford (41-23-2), 1 p.m.
Game 12: Fresno State (44-29) vs. LSU/North Carolina winner, 6 p.m.

Sunday, June 22
Game 13: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 11, 1 p.m.
Game 14: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 12, 6 p.m.

(NOTE: If only one game is played Saturday, it will be at 6 p.m.)

Championship Series

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

Monday, June 23
Game 1: Bracket winners

Tuesday, June 24
Game 2: Bracket winners

Wednesday, June 25
Game 3: Bracket winners (if necessary)

Order your College World Series tickets now at Ticket Express -- where no College World Series game is ever sold out.

Miami ousted from College World Series

One more team is out at the 2008 College World Series. Here's a recap of Wednesday's action:

Stanford sends top seed home

The unseeded teams are making life difficult for their seeded brethren, as Stanford dominated top-seeded Miami and sent the Hurricanes home Wednesday with an 8-3 win, putting them in the bracket finals against Georgia on Friday.

Danny Sandbrink and Erik Davis combined to slow down the high-powered Miami offense, marking the second straight game in which the Cardinal arms beat back strong offensive teams, following up their first-round win over Florida State.

Stanford made their key run in the fifth, scoring four times. Sean Ratliff hit his 22nd homer of the year and Cord Phelps had a two-run triple to highlight the rally.

Miami, meanwhile, could not figure out Sandbrink until the middle of the game, when Davis came on in relief and shut the door on any Hurricane comeback.

Miami's departure marks the ninth straight year that the top seed has failed to win the College World Series.

Tonight, baseball's version of the final four will be completed when North Carolina takes on LSU. The survivor plays the tournament's Cinderella team, Fresno State, in the other bracket final Friday night. Stanford will battle Georgia in the first bracket final game Friday afternoon.

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)

Thursday, June 19
Game 10: LSU (49-18-1) vs. North Carolina (52-13), 6 p.m.

Friday, June 20
Game 11: Georgia (43-23-1) vs. Stanford (41-23-2), 1 p.m.
Game 12: Fresno State (44-29) vs. Winner Game 10, 6 p.m.

Saturday, June 21
Game 13: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 11, 1 p.m.
Game 14: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 12, 6 p.m.

(NOTE: If only one game is played Saturday, it will be at 6 p.m.)

Championship Series

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

Monday, June 23
Game 1: Bracket winners

Tuesday, June 24
Game 2: Bracket winners

Wednesday, June 25
Game 3: Bracket winners (if necessary)

Order your College World Series tickets now at Ticket Express -- where no College World Series game is ever sold out.

Fresno State upsets Tar Heels, LSU comes from behind

Fresno State continued its miracle playoff run and LSU kept their CWS title hopes alive in a ninth-inning comeback as action continued at the College World Series. Here is a recap of Tuesday's matchups:

LSU rebounds late, bounces Rice from CWS

LSU was all but dead in the bottom of the ninth, but erupted for four runs to steal a 6-5 win over Rice and send the Owls packing as the second team eliminated from the 2008 CWS.

The Tigers were trailing 5-2 and had one out when Michael Hollander singled home a run to cut the lead to 5-3. It looked like Rice was going to get out of the jam, but shortstop Rick Hauge bobbled a potential game-ending double play grounder that loaded the bases, and designated hitter Blake Dean followed with a bases-clearing double to right-center that gave the Tigers the win.

Rice looked to be in good position, leading 5-0 after the top of the seventh. Hauge singled home a pair of runs in the second to get the Owls on the board, and they continued to build their lead until LSU came back.

Fresno State in bracket finals with upset win

These Bulldogs are no underdogs, and the most unlikely of the eight teams to get this far in the College World Series are now one win away from the finals after a 5-3 win over second-seeded North Carolina Tuesday night.

The Bulldogs made good use of five pitchers to frustrate the Tar Heels' bats and got a two-run single from Alan Ahmady in the fifth to come back from a 3-2 deficit. They added an insurance run in the eighth and will now wait for Thursday's survivor between North Carolina and LSU to play for a shot at the championship.

North Carolina scored three times off starter Justin Miller, getting an RBI triple from Tim Fedroff, a run-scoring double by Kyle Seager and an RBI single by Chad Flack to take a 3-1 advantage. Steve Susdorf -- who caught the fly ball that helped Fresno State upset Arizona State to reach the CWS -- homered in the fourth to get the Bulldogs within a run.

North Carolina had several chances to get back in the game, but left runners in scoring position three times in the last five innings.

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
Game 8: Fresno State 5, North Carolina 3

Wednesday, June 18
Game 9: Miami (53-10) vs. Stanford (40-23-2), 6 p.m.

Thursday, June 19
Game 10: LSU (49-18-1) vs. North Carolina (52-13), 6 p.m.

Friday, June 20
Game 11: Georgia (43-23-1) vs. Winner Game 9, 1 p.m.
Game 12: Fresno State (44-29) vs. Winner Game 10, 6 p.m.

Saturday, June 21
Game 13: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 11, 1 p.m.
Game 14: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 12, 6 p.m.

(NOTE: If only one game is played Saturday, it will be at 6 p.m.)

Championship Series

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

Monday, June 23
Game 1: Bracket winners

Tuesday, June 24
Game 2: Bracket winners

Wednesday, June 25
Game 3: Bracket winners (if necessary)

Order your College World Series tickets now at Ticket Express -- where no College World Series game is ever sold out.

Georgia wins second, Florida State eliminated

One team has gone home and Georgia is one win away from the finals after Monday's action at the 2008 College World Series.

Hurricanes send in-state rivals packing

Some thought the battle of Florida might come in the bracket final, not in the first elimination round.

Miami bounced back from its first-round upset at the hands of Georgia and rode the strong pitching of Eric Erickson to a 7-5 win over in-state rival Florida State in Monday's elimination game at Rosenblatt Stadium.

The Seminoles jumped out to an early lead in the first when Dennis Guinn doubled home Buster Posey, who started the rally with a two-out single.

Miami countered with four runs in the fourth, two coming on a two-run homer by Jemile Weeks. Dennis Raben added a two-run single to stake the top-seeded Hurricanes to a 4-1 lead.

Miami added two more in the seventh and led 7-2 going to the ninth. Florida State rallied for three runs, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Miami effort, ending Florida State's season at 54-14.

Bulldogs come from behind to beat Stanford

Matt Cerione got Georgia a three-day vacation with his bat in his glove to help the Bulldogs edge Stanford 4-3 Monday night to move to 2-0 in bracket play.

The Bulldogs (43-23-1) trailed 3-2 in the seventh when Cerione came through with the bases loaded, stroking a two-out single to center to give Georgia the lead. He then came up with the game-ending play, starting a 6-4-3 double play to give the nation's leading closer, Joshua Field, his 17th save of the year.

Stanford (40-23-2) scored three runs in the third to take the lead and got good pitching from Jeff Inman and Austin Yount, but they couldn't hold off the Bulldogs down the stretch. The Cardinal fall into the losers bracket, where they came back to reach the finals in 2003 by winning three straight before losing to Rice in the championship series.

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: Rice (47-14) vs. LSU (48-18-1), 1 p.m.
Game 8: Fresno State (43-29) vs. North Carolina (52-12), 6 p.m.

Wednesday, June 18
Game 9: Miami (53-10) vs. Stanford (40-23-2), 6 p.m.

Thursday, June 19
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8, 6 p.m.

Friday, June 20
Game 11: Georgia (43-23-1) vs. Winner Game 9, 1 p.m.
Game 12: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 10, 6 p.m.

Saturday, June 21
Game 13: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 11, 1 p.m.
Game 14: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 12, 6 p.m.

(NOTE: If only one game is played Saturday, it will be at 6 p.m.)

Championship Series

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

Monday, June 23
Game 1: Bracket winners

Tuesday, June 24
Game 2: Bracket winners

Wednesday, June 25
Game 3: Bracket winners (if necessary)

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