Bulldogs win again in Athens
ATHENS, Ga. — Michael Curry hit a tiebreaking, two-run double in the seventh inning, and Georgia went on to beat Troy 11-7 in an NCAA regional Sunday afternoon.
Keegan McGovern and Curry each homered twice and finished with four RBIs apiece to help the host Bulldogs (39-19) advance to the championship round against Duke (41-16). They’ll play at 1 p.m. today with Georgia needing just one win to move on to this week’s super regionals, but the Blue Devils would need to win twice.
McGovern singled home the tying run with two outs in the seventh. Curry followed that with a double to right center off C.J. Carter to score McGovern and Ivan Johnson and put the Bulldogs up 8-6.
Brandon Lockridge homered twice and Drew Frederic also went deep for the Trojans, who then lost 15-6 in an elimination game against Duke. Troy (42-20) beat Duke 6-0 in the regional Friday night but couldn’t repeat the feat.
Georgia is in the NCAA tournament for the 13th time and trying to make it back to the College World Series for the first time in 10 years. That’s still three wins away, though — in addition to winning today, the Bulldogs would have to win two of three in a super regional later this week.
› Ole Miss 9, Tennessee Tech 8 OXFORD, Miss. — Grae Kessinger hit a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning as the host Rebels held on in a wild ninth to advance to their regional’s championship round.
Kessinger’s two-out liner down the line in left field scored speedy pinch runner Anthony Servideo from first base for a 6-5 lead after the eighth inning was kept alive on a wild pitch that followed a strikeout.
Each team scored three runs in the ninth before Houston Roth struck out Alex Junior with the tying run at third for the sophomore right-hander’s first career save.
Roth was the third pitcher of the inning for the Rebels (48-15), who are seeded fourth nationally and will have two chances, if needed, to advance and host a super regional.
Nick Osborne hit two solo homers for the Golden Eagles (49-10), who lead the nation in wins but had to play an elimination game against Missouri State immediately after the loss. That game was not complete at press time.
Two of the Rebels’ ninth-inning runs scored on a bases-loaded walk to Servideo when Will Golsan scored from second on a wild pitch.
Parker Caracci (5-2) pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in a 5-5 tie in the seventh but came out after loading the bases with one out in the ninth. Greer Holston got Osborne to pop out as the potential tying run with the bases loaded before walking in a run and giving up Collin Harris’ tworun single. › Vanderbilt 19, Clemson 6
CLEMSON, S.C. — Vanderbilt shortstop Connor Kaiser hit three homers and had an NCAA tournament record-tying 10 RBIs in a game, and the Commodores matched another single-game mark with nine homers as they roughed up the Tigers to reach the super regionals.
It’s the second straight year the Commodores (34-25) ousted the Tigers (47-26) on their home field in a regional. Kaiser led the way with a three-run homer in the third, a grand slam in the sixth and a two-run shot in the seventh. He tied the NCAA record with an RBI single in the eighth.
Catcher Stephen Scott and designated hitter Philip Clarke had two homers apiece.
Kaiser, voted regional MVP, went 5-for-7 with three runs scored. Things could get even better for the junior, who is among the top 200 prospects in the MLB draft that starts today.
Clemson failed to advance while hosting a regional for the third straight season.
› Auburn 15,
N.C. State 7
RALEIGH, N.C. — Auburn first baseman Josh Anthony went 4-for-5 with five RBIs as the Tigers earned a spot in super regionals by routing the Wolfpack on their turf.
Auburn (41-21) led 7-0 after 3 1/2 innings before N.C. State (42-17) answered with Patrick Bailey’s RBI double and Brock Deatherage’s two-run triple in the bottom half, but Auburn added another run each of the next two innings and still had its biggest outburst in the works. The Tigers scored five unearned runs in the eighth, with Anthony’s second double of the game clearing the loaded bases.
Jay Estes and Steven Williams each finished with three hits for Auburn, which totaled 16 in the game, and Edouard Julien and Brendan Venter had two RBIs apiece.