Jun 22, 2008 - 11:57 PM
0 shoutsOMAHA, Nebraska (Ticker) -- On Sunday night at Rosenblatt Stadium, three was the magic number. Fortunately for Fresno State, more late-inning theatrics from North Carolina were not in the works.
Tommy Mendonca finished 3-for-3 with four RBI, sending the Bulldogs to their first College World Series championship-round appearance with a 6-1 elimination-game win over the Tar Heels.
While denying North Carolina (54-14) a third straight heroic comeback and its third consecutive championship- round appearance, Fresno State (45-30) secured a best-of-three matchup with Georgia for the CWS title.
"The win is even sweeter knowing we were facing elimination," Fresno State closer Brandon Burke said. "Now we're one of two teams fighting for the national championship. It's inconceivable."
The Tar Heels had twice staved off elimination here in just the past two days. Tim Federowicz's grand slam in the ninth broke a tie in a 7-3 win over Louisiana State on Friday and Chad Flack's two-run shot Saturday in the bottom of the eighth inning kept North Carolina alive yet again in a 4-3 win over the Bulldogs.
The loss was just the second in eight elimination games over the last two postseasons for the Tar Heels.
"There's a lot of parity in college baseball," North Carolina coach Mike Fox said. "It's difficult getting here. We're not patting ourselves on the back. ... It's hard to get here."
Fresno State is the first team to reach the CWS championship round with 30 losses.
Mendonca's first hit - a two-run single off Brian Moran (1-2) in the third - wrapped up an eight-pitch at-bat and gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage.
"It was a pretty big at-bat," Mendonca said. "We knew we had to get something in or they would have gotten the momentum. But we have a good two-strike plan and it worked out."
He came through again two innings later, making the Tar Heels pay for a leadoff walk with an RBI double to right-center.
Mendonca sealed North Carolina's fate in the sixth when his infield single plated another run and extended Fresno State's lead to 6-1.
Clayton Allison (4-5) endured little trouble with the Tar Heel lineup, allowing just one run and six hits with three walks and six strikeouts over six frames. Holden Sprague tossed a scoreless seventh before Burke came on in the eighth to put the Tar Heels away with two more scoreless innings.
"That was a gutsy performance when we needed it the most," Fresno State coach Mike Batesole said. "It was a mental battle for Allison, and he won it. ... All three pitchers were locked in and located their pitches."
