FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
OMAHA, Neb. – The sixth-ranked Georgia baseball team advanced in the winner’s bracket of the 2008 College World Series with a 4-3 win over seventh-ranked Stanford at Rosenblatt Stadium Monday in front of a crowd of 20,087.
Georgia (43-23-1) trailed 3-2 going into the bottom of the seventh but came away with two runs in that frame to go up by the final margin. After Stanford (40-23-2) recorded outs of the first two batters, junior Gordon Beckham singled and sophomore Rich Poythress walked. Next, junior Bryce Massanari hit a ball that went off the yellow home run line down the right field line, but the ball was called foul sending Massanari back to the plate where he was hit by the next pitch. Then with the bases loaded, sophomore Matt Cerione singled to center driving in the innings two runs.
With the win, the Bulldogs advance in the winner’s bracket with a 2-0 record and will await their opponent for a Friday contest at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Georgia’s opponent will be determined on Wednesday when Stanford and Miami play an elimination game at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The Bulldogs need one more win to advance to the national championship series, a best two-out-of three between the bracket winners.
The last time Georgia started a CWS with wins in its first two games was in 1990 when it defeated Mississippi State 3-0 and Stanford 16-2 before going on to win the national championship.
Cerione finished Monday night’s game 2-for-3 with three runs batted in, all with two-outs, to lead the Bulldog offense, while his effort was supported by the performances of Beckham (2-for-4, 2 runs), Poythress (2 walks, 2 runs) and sophomore David Thoms (2-for-4).
