College World Series Tickets

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 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.

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)

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

The first round of the College World Series is complete, and one of the higher-seeded teams actually won a first-round game. Here's a recap of Sunday's action:

Fresno State jumps on Rice

Few figured on Fresno State getting out of their regional, and almost nobody picked them to beat Arizona State in super regionals. Anybody who continues to doubt the Bulldogs, though, may be convinced after Sunday's 17-5 thumping of sixth-seeded Rice.

The Bulldogs scored seven runs in the fourth inning to take command of the game, thanks to three-run homers by Danny Muno and Alan Ahmady. Muno had five RBI's on the day for the Bulldogs. Jordan Ribera also launched a three-run bomb to help the upstart Bulldogs to the easy win.

Ryan Berry was shelled in 3 1/3 innings of work, giving up nine runs on seven hits, with five runs being earned. The loss drops the Owls into the losers bracket on Tuesday.

Tar Heels tame Tigers

North Carolina evidently didn't get the memo regarding higher seeds losing in the first round, as they handled LSU 8-4 to move into Tuesday's matchup with Fresno State.

The Tar Heels played small ball against the red-hot Tigers, putting together three straight singles to jump out to a 3-1 lead that they never relinquished. LSU got home runs from Michael Holander and Matt Clark to lead off the first two innings, but North Carolina pitcher Alex White shut the Tigers down after that in pitching seven strong innings.

Here's how the 2008 College World Series schedule looks so far:

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: Florida State (54-13) vs. Miami (52-10), 1 p.m.
Game 6: Stanford (40-22-2) vs. Georgia (42-23-1), 6 p.m.

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: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 6 p.m.

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

Friday, June 20
Game 11: Winner Game 6 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)

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

Sunny skies greeted fans and teams as the 2008 College World Series got underway Saturday, and Stanford and Georgia pulled off upsets to highlight the first day of play at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Stanford explodes late for win

Florida State had battled back from a three-run deficit to tie the game at 5-5 going into the ninth, but Stanford exploded for a record-tying 11 runs in the ninth to send the Seminoles to the losers bracket with a 16-5 victory in Saturday's series opener.

A three-run homer by Brent Milleville highlighted the late outburst for the Cardinal (40-22-2), who moved into Monday night's winners' bracket game against Georgia. The 11-run outburst was the most since Cal State Fullerton scored 11 runs in the first inning of their 1994 CWS game against LSU. The game lasted four hours and 11 minutes, the third longest nine-inning game in CWS history.

Florida State trailed 5-2 in the eighth when Jason Stidham hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at 5-5. Stanford's pitching, led by a strong starting effort from lefthander Jeremy Bleich, had kept the explosive Seminoles in check until late and held Florida State well under the 11 runs a game they have averaged during the NCAA tournament.

The loss puts the Seminoles (54-13) in a familiar position this postseason. They won four in a row to take their regional after losing the opener to Bucknell, then spotted WIchita State a game before winning two in a row to take the super regional and qualify for the CWS.

Late mistakes cost Miami

Miami has been untouchable when holding the lead in the ninth inning, but Georgia (42-23-1) found a way to come from behind to take a 7-4 win with four runs in the ninth inning.

Unfortunately for the top-seeded Hurricanes, the reason for their first blown save of the season was an untimely throwing error by relief pitcher Carlos Gutierrez, who tried to throw a runner out at first and wound up throwing wild, allowing two Georgia runs to cross the plate and break a 4-4 tie.

Bryce Massanari singled to lead off the ninth for the Bulldogs, and after pinch-runner Adam Fuller advanced on a sacrifice, Robbie O'Bryan reached on a wild third strike to give Georgia runners on the corners. Lyle Allen singled home the tying run and David Thoms followed with an infielder grounder that Gutierrez fielded and threw wildly past first.

Blake Tekotte hit a two-run homer in the third to give Miami a 3-1 advantage and withstood a Georgia rally in the seventh to hang on to a 4-3 lead going to the ninth. The Hurricanes (52-10) were 46-0 when leading going to the ninth inning, but suffered their first such setback this season to drop into the losers bracket against in-state rival Florida State.

Here's how the 2008 College World Series schedule looks so far:

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: Rice (47-13) vs. Fresno State (42-29), 1 p.m.
Game 4: North Carolina (51-12) vs. LSU (48-17-1), 6 p.m.

Monday, June 16
Game 5: Florida State (54-13) vs. Miami (52-10), 1 p.m.
Game 6: Stanford (40-22-2) vs. Georgia (42-23-1), 6 p.m.

Tuesday, June 17
Game 7: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 1 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 6 p.m.

Wednesday, June 18
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 6 p.m.

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

Friday, June 20
Game 11: Winner Game 6 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)

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

Here's how we think the 2008 College World series is going to shake out:

Bracket One

First Round: Florida State over Stanford, Miami over Georgia
Second Round: Georgia over Stanford (Stanford eliminated), Miami over Florida State
Third Round: Florida State over Georgia (Georgia eliminated)
Final: Miami over Florida State (Florida State eliminated)
BRACKET CHAMPION -- Miami (Fla.) Hurricanes

Bracket Two

First Round: Rice over Fresno State, North Carolina over LSU
Second Round: LSU over Fresno State (Fresno State eliminated), North Carolina over Rice
Third Round: LSU over Rice (Rice eliminated)
Final: LSU over North Carolina, North Carolina over LSU (LSU eliminated)
BRACKET CHAMPION -- North Carolina Tar Heels

Championship Series

Game One: North Carolina over Miami
Game Two: Miami over North Carolina
Game Three: North Carolina over Miami
2008 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS -- North Carolina Tar Heels

The 2008 College World Series starts Saturday as the nation's top college baseball teams gather at Rosenblatt Stadium to battle for the national championship in NCAA Div. I.

This year's schedule is as follows:

Tournament Schedule

(NOTE: All times listed are Central)

Saturday, June 14
Game 1: Stanford (39-22-2) vs. Florida State (54-12), 1 p.m.
Game 2: Miami (52-9) vs. Georgia (41-23-1), 6 p.m.

Sunday, June 15
Game 3: Rice (47-13) vs. Fresno State (42-29), 1 p.m.
Game 4: North Carolina (51-12) vs. LSU (48-17-1), 6 p.m.

Monday, June 16
Game 5: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 1 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, June 17
Game 7: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 1 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 6 p.m.

Wednesday, June 18
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 6 p.m.

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

Friday, June 20
Game 11: Winner Game 6 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)

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

An Omaha financial company has expressed an interest in securing the naming rights to the new downtown baseball stadium that will replace Rosenblatt Stadium as the host site for the College World Series beginning in 2011.

The Omaha World-Herald reported Wednesday that TD Ameritrade has made their interest known in a letter to David Sokol, chairman of the Metrpolitan Entertainment Convention Authority (MECA). MECA is handling all aspects of the new stadium, including naming rights, as part of its management agreement with the city.

TD Ameritrade CEO Joe Moglia told the newspaper that the company is hoping to get the naming rights, and when asked if the company was willing to pay the estimated $750,000 that is being projected as the asking price for naming rights, he told the World-Herald that the figure is in the neighborhood.

The World-Herald also reported that if TD Ameritrade secures the naming rights, they would be willing to make a contribution toward the $43 million in private fundraising that would help pay for construction of the $140 million stadium.

Baseball America's final Top 25 rankings before the College World Series reflects the eight teams left standing heading into the final tournament of the season.

Fresno State made the biggest leap, reflecting its upset of Arizona State to make it to Rosenblatt Stadium. Stanford also leaped up after knocking out Cal State Fullerton. The Sun Devils and Titans were the only top-eight seeds to be eliminated from a shot at making the trip to Omaha.

Baseball America's Top 25 rankings are as follows (record and last week's rankings in parenthesis):

1. Miami (Fla.) (52-9, 1), 2. Florida State (54-12, 2), 3. North Carolina (51-12, 3), 4. LSU (48-17, 5), 5. Rice (47-13, 7),

6. Stanford (39-22, 11), 7. Georgia (41-23, 9), 8. Fresno State (42-29, 17), 9. Arizona State (49-13, 4), 10. Cal State Fullerton (41-22, 6),

11. UC Irvine (42-18, 8), 12. Texas A&M (46-19, 10), 13. Wichita State (48-17, 13), 14. Arizona (42-19, 14), 15. North Carolina State (42-22, 15),

16. Coastal Carolina (50-14, 12), 17. Oklahoma State (44-18, 16), 18. San Diego (44-17, 18), 19. Missouri (39-21, 19), 20. Nebraska (41-16, 20),

21. Texas (39-22, 21), 22. Michigan (46-14, 22), 23. TCU (45-19, 23), 24. Kentucky (44-19, 24), 25. Long Beach State (38-21, 25).

The 2008 College World Series is on the minds of most Omahans today, but Mayor Mike Fahey will be looking ahead to the future of the tournament today.

The city of Omaha and the NCAA are expected to formally sign an agreement today that will keep the College World Series in OMaha through 2035, with the tournament being played in a new stadium downtown near the Qwest Center beginning in 2011.

Additionally, the Omaha City Council is expected to ratify an agreement with the Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority (MECA) to build and run the new downtown stadium. The council is also expected to approve several measures regarding the new stadium, including the approval of increases in the city's car rental fees and hotel tax, which would help fund the new $140 million stadium.